Former governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has charged indigenes to be active in politics to attract development to the state.
He made the call at the weekend in Lagos when the Weppa Wanno Pyramid Club of Nigeria, had its 8th biennial retreat.
This is even as the community pleaded with the federal government to pay attention to Agenebode in Etsako East local government area of the state.
Speaking on the theme, "Poltics as a veritable tool for community development", Oshiomhole, who was represented by Prof. Marcel Okhakhu of the department of Mass Communication, University of Benin, said: "You must be active in politics. Politics is not for card carrying members alone, everybody is a politician. And those you have sent by way of mandate must not be left alone, even after you have voted for them.
"You must call them to account, give them a shopping list of what is possible, you may not know what they know, that's why you must have town hall meetings so as to brainstorm, share ideas and prioritize the things that need to be done, no man is an island, nobody knows it all.
"They need ideas, support, information and they too should be willing to carry your message further so that the world can know that the world doesn't stop in Lagos or Abuja."
Also, the club regretted that the area lacks the basic infrastructures such as a linking bridge to Ida, Kogi state, tertiary institutions and good road networks all that have hindered development in that part of the state.
Referring to the club's complaint against lack of basic infrastructure, such as link bridge to Ida in Kogi State, tertiary institutions and good road network in Etsako East, Oshiomhole said the state government had not given attention to that part of the state.
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He said: "Agenebode is almost like a back town because it's the last of the towns in Edo State, particularly in Etako East. The next community to us is Ida which is in Kogi State and it's the body of water, the river Niger that separates us from Kogi and that on its own has a specific disadvantage for the people."
"Politics affects all facets of our lives, and all sectors of the economy are subjects of political power play and control, community development being no exception," he said.
Also, one of the past Presidents of the club, Mr Kenndy Izuagbe said: "We lack basic infrastructure. We believe that the federal government of Nigeria should take our cry for bridge linking us with Ida in Kogi as a matter of priority. It will open up Edo state and Kogi as commerce will improve."
