Imansuagbon Says Mentoring is Refreshing

Lawyer and former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State during the 2012 election, Mr. Kenneth Imansuangbon, says mentoring the youths refreshes him. He shares this aspect of his life with Ademola Adeyemo

For Mr. Kenneth Imansuangbon, a lawyer, philanthropist and former aspirant to the Edo State Government House in the April, 2012 election, the success of a leader is not measured by wealth or the public office he or she occupies, but how he or she has been able to impact positively on the lives of the people, especially the youths who look up to him for leadership and direction.

Imansuagbon, fondly referred to as “The Rice Man” following his adoption of the late Moshood Abiola’s style of meeting the people at the point of their needs, came to political limelight in 2007, when he co-founded the former Action Congress and became the party’s governorship candidate in the build up to the 2007 election in Edo State.

He, however, lost the ticket when he was persuaded by the party’s elders to give up his mandate for the governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who was then the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). He later left the AC for the PDP after feeling betrayed by those who benefited from his philosophy of politics without bitterness.

Imansuangbon, who is also the proprietor of the famous Pacesetter Schools in Abuja and who just returned from the United States of America, where he had gone to rest said he now feels good after a deserved holiday abroad.

“Away from the rigors of politicking, I can now boast of good health, I have enough time to rest, exercise, attend to my business and jack up my philanthropy business. I only missed my students. As a motivational speaker, I’m back and have enough time to talk and counsel my students and other youths on how to live a responsible, prosperous and God-fearing life.”

The renowned educationist, who always speaks glowingly on how he derives joy by mentoring the youths said any country that neglects the youths is playing with its future, development and progress.

“I established schools out of the conviction that it will give me the opportunities to motivate and mentor the children who are the leaders of tomorrow. So aside from politics, my main hobby is motivational speaking with youths as target. If am not politicking, you will find me in the lecture room with the students, this gives me fulfillment and relaxes me.”

Aside mentoring, Imansuangbon is happy that he was able to win the hearts of the people through his regular free distribution of food items to the less-privileged and spurred by his beliefs in Maslow’s philosophy that “once you remove hunger from the list of wants of a man, poverty is half solved.”

Ironically, since 2012 when he lost his party’s ticket, many had thought that Imansuangbon would back down on his philanthropic gesture because the idea was believed to have been stoked by ambition. But he quickly put the governorship struggle behind him and continued to identify with the people through what he was known for – philanthropy – which he said was a movement and a train of change that could not be stopped.

For instance, during the last Christmas and New Year, he distributed thousands of bags of rice to the less-privileged in the three senatorial districts in the state – a gesture he claimed was to put smiles on the faces of the poor during the festive period.

“This is my own commitment to fighting poverty in my state. I came from a home where there was no rice to eat but now that I can afford rice, my commitment is that to the extent God permits, I will always give food, every time, to the poor in Edo State and if I had enough money, I would send it to other parts of the country to put smile on the faces of the people.”

“So, my commitment is to the people and a way of thanking God and my little contribution to fighting poverty because it does not matter, 50 years down the line how much money you have in your bank account. As a matter of fact, I gather money throughout the year to save to buy food items at the end of the year to put smile on the face of the man on the street. If I go on the streets now, people line up to greet me with nostalgia and to me – that is better than if I had billions in my account.”

On whether he would seek the governorship seat in future, he said he would always offer himself for the service of the state.

“It is possible for Edo State to become a model for other states in job creation, robust economy with solid public private partnership, meeting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target in health care delivery, becoming a food sufficient state, science-based 21st century education and human capital development, tourism, sports and above all, a secure state.”

On the current political situation, he urged Nigerians to support the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, in his determination to move the country forward.

“If Buhari fails, Nigeria fails; if he succeeds, Nigeria succeeds. Let every department – police, military, school children, farmers, everyone – let us support the new government. When we support the government, it is the country we are supporting. Each time America holds an election, the country is usually divided between the Republicans and the Democrats. But the moment a president emerges all Americans see the actions and inaction of the president as their job. So, in the same way, Buhari needs our support to succeed,” he said.