Why I Choose to Run for the House of Representatives.

At every point that I look back on my life, I realize that there has been a reason why I have been exposed to my unique experiences and history. I believe that this is because I was meant to serve my people. Life has been full of experience, adventure, lessons and learning. It is of little importance if these things have only made a difference to me and not to my social circumstances and the people around me. To use the quantum of these experiences for the betterment of the society in which I live in, is the core reason why I am running for office.

Where I am coming from

I am Anaguta, from Jos North Local Government Area. I was born in Jos back when things were

pleasantly different, in all facets of life, from what they are now. I attended EKAN Primary School which was both ethnically and socially diverse social sphere to be in. As such, our diversity was not an issue to be pondered upon, it was rather a flavor which has made me remember my childhood with fondness and nostalgia. The different ethnic nationalities from all over Nigeria were all over that school, each with an amiable distinction and we all loved each other, learnt from each other and tolerated each other. I wish Nigeria was still unhampered now like it was then.

The above picture eventually shaped my viewpoint for a model society in later years. The perspective was strengthened as I commenced my formal education. I attended the famous Government College Pankshin, after graduation I went on  to the former School of Preliminary

(SPS) Keffi, in present Nassarawa State, and finally to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU),  Zaria where I acquired my first degree.

Till date, I find it easy to form strong friendships and partnerships with people of all creeds, ethnicities and social classes which can be attributed to the opportunity I was given by God to experience the formal learning  environment.

My Professional Background

One of my greatest blessings has been to have the depth and span of work experience that I

have had especially with years in security and governance. I worked with the Department of

Security Services and resigned as a trained Intelligence Officer, and later as a manager in the

security department of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) Plc.

In addition to these years, I have also worked extensively in government. Between April and

October 2008, I served as the Transition Implementation Committee Secretary of Jos North

Local Government Council. In 2011, I was appointed the Special Adviser on Intergovernmental Relations to the governor of Plateau State, an office I held till October of 2014.

These years of work have given me networks, experiences and exposure to governance.

indeed I came to understand that human beings no matter where they came from were alike and had basic needs irrespective of the continent they were from. I also understood that of the problems that plagued society, some societies had a head start in dealing with such universal problems and thus presented a resource we can tap from to deal with ours. I thus took a decision to allow myself become a true global citizen, thinking globally with the end game of acting locally to solve our local problems.

In this regards I must acknowledge the strategic contacts and friendships I was able to develop with some global personalities such as the former British Prime Minister, Mr. John Major and a member of the British Parliament, Baron John Watson of Richmond. I was also privileged to meet Mrs. Naomi B. King, wife of A. D. King who is the elder brother to the famous Martin Lurther King jr, the leader of the American Civil Rights Movement back in the day. She is currently the Head of the A.D.King Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia

There is no gain saying that these relationships together with foremost African/Nigerian statesmen (too numerous to mention) that I enjoyed mentorship with, has  generated  the appropriate perspective for me to exploit for the kind of representation I hope to provide for Jos North/ Bassa Federal Constituency. From work and networks, I have received an uncommon training to poise me for the challenges ahead.

My Unique Positioning

I recognize that the peaceful, multiethnic convivial space I grew up in and I spent my early years in has now become the epicenter of conflicts. It is my desire to come on board, to bring my experience to bear and be a part of the solution-finding and implementation process.

As a student of Plateau history, I have intimate knowledge of our customs, norms, compositions and

sensitivities. That knowledge mixed with years of being a security professional enables me to

look at issues through several layers. I have understudied the problems and looked  beyond the surface ‘symptoms’ and can say with every sense of responsibility that I understand the root causes of these conflicts.  They include but are not restricted to competition for resources, mutual suspicion, religious bigotry, politics and the sanctity of our culture and traditional boundaries.

I pledge to contribute much more than is presently the case at the political platform I seek to ascend and help make the constituency a better place to live and thrive in.

I am presently well informed on the present state of peace in this very unique constituency, and when given the opportunity will crystallize a blue-print of synergies to initiate appropriate legislations that will effectively address these negative peculiarities that the constituency has become synonymous for. I believe that a harmonization of our social divergences will bring about the benefits we all need to coexist.

My Promise

I strongly believe in the concept of servant leadership. True leadership must be about collaborations and alliances. I can only bring my unique gifting to the fore and be a part of the process of generating workable templates that will address the numerous questions people often ask about this constituency.

This collaboration can only be sustained by listening to my people. This I promise to do. I will take advantage of my goodwill to attract community based projects to our constituency, and will take matters of placements and employment for our youth with the utmost priority. This will certainly address some of the social vices occasioned by unemployment in our constituency.

I firmly believe that our experiences and challenges in this constituency, these past years have redirected our attention to the quality of representation we need at this critical time in our national development. We must resolve to look ahead with great optimism and be enthusiastic for a brighter future. We must acknowledge our past errors and work consciously and deliberately to addressed them.

This is what I hope to represent, with your blessings and your votes.

Thank you and God bless.

David Zoyong

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David Jang Zoyong makes a credible case for Jos North/Bassa House of Reps Seat