Concern of Green Party is to develop grassroots, provide succor for the oppressed – Prince Adetoyese Anifalaje,Green Party Councillor candidate for Wolverhampton.
By Steve Ovirih.
Prince Adetoyese Anifalaje (AA), a promising Nigerian in The Diaspora and member of Green Party in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom has expressed his commitment to fulfilling the yearnings of the people in the grassroots of St.Peter’s ward, Wolverhampton if elected as the Councillor to represent them in the forthcoming May 7 polls.The Ibokun -Ijesa born Prince who has been living in the United Kingdom for over three decades gave this indication in the course of an exclusive media chat online with some select group of journalists under the umbrella of Media for Global Development Initiative (MFGDI). Anifalaje is running as Councillor to represent St.Peter’s ward of Wolverhampton.
Adetoyese Anifalaje in the interview session said he will bring to bear on his councillor role a community focused leadership which allows a leader to factor into his leadership role the general knowledge of what the people want and not just the subjective idea of leadership.He noted that community focused leadership is built solely on making the constituents to contribute to development policy so that by endorsing such collective contribution, the constituents own both the policy drive and the success thereof. “I am a community focused service leader with over 3 decades of experience in managing people, resources and public -facing services with a strong emphasis on fairness, accountability and ethical decision making.
“I am standing for election to bring practical leadership and listening approach to Local Government in St.Peter’s ward,” Adetoyese Anifalaje stated with conviction.
On ethical decision making, the holder of Masters in Business Administration said it is the ideal thing as it has to do with doing right by the people based on known and agreed parameters. “When it comes to ethical decision taking, there are are agreed parameters and understanding the framework and tradition of the people you want to represent.This will weigh in positively on the quality of policy and decision to be taken concerning their welfare and issues bordering on the people in the grassroots,” Anifalaje maintained.
Asked to compare his political rise in Wolverhampton to that of another British Nigerian, Kemi Badenoch whose migration Policy is anti black, nay anti Nigerian, the Ibokun Prince said he and Badenoch are two different individuals. “We are two different people. Same background as Nigerians, yes! Schooled in Nigeria,yes. Yet, I can’t legislate for Kemi or throw her under the bus. We understand she did not enjoy her secondary school days in Nigeria but I enjoyed mine! I attended the famous Government College Ibadan, GCI and I enjoyed my secondary school experience. I was the Head Boy of my set , the 1978 set. My formative years in Nigeria as a GCI boy nurtured me to evolve as a total man who has a lot of respect for my homeland. I have been abroad for more than 30 years but that doesn’t make me more British than Nigerian; so Kemi Badenoch’s reason is best known to her and more importantly, we don’t share same political ideology as we don’t belong in the same party. I am a member of the Green Party, a party that is very particular about grassroots development and that is driven by the golden ideology of providing succor to the oppressed people in the grassroots.”
Prodded further to evaluate the Green Party’s manifesto, Adetoyese Anifalaje stressed that prior to the emergence of the Green Party in The UK, there existed Labour Party, Conservative Party and the loud noise making Reformed Party, adding that of all these parties, the Green Party is the only party entrenched in the grassroots and is concerned with making sure the locals, the people living in the hinterland are well looked after.
He said The Green Party is a party which has individuals and party stakeholders who do not stand aloof like members of the other parties, saying Green party members mingle with the locals, understand their plight and challenges and take succor to them directly. “We are bothered in the Green Party about matters of Climate Change as this directly affects our people in the grassroots. As the year ended few days back it has been heavy snow everywhere. Based on my community development approach, I stepped out to clear the snow the little way I could, my boys followed suit and others in the neighbourhood who saw the sense in helping to clear the snow also came out and collectively in our own little way, we cleared the snow that was amassing in the neighbourhood. That’s the spirit of the Green Party: feeling the pulse of the grassroots folks because we are closer to them.We are not like those in the other parties who say one thing but do another thing; who make one promise today but won’t effect it when they are in power. You just talked about a party’s anti immigration policy. In the Green Party, the challenge of the locals is our concern and we collectively map out ways to resolve such challenges in a way that brings about a win-win situation for our people and our party, the Green Party.”
On the issue of sovereignty and independence of nations against the background of the United State’s invasion of Nigeria to ward of insurgency threat that has put Nigerian image in the negative globally, the Green Party Councillor hopeful in Wolverhampton said rather than see US’ move as invasion, it is a collaborative effort between two nations which motive is seeking peace and protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria. He maintained that while sovereignty indicates independence of a nation to govern without interference, asking for help does not invalidate sovereignty. He added that Nigeria is clamouring for change but such change is not actualized beacuse of limits, so if there is a more equiped country with the wherewithal to actualize the change Nigeria is clamouring for which is to scatter the insurgents and put them out of relevance withing the Nigerian territory, reaching out to such country for help is not a crime and it does not in any way make Nigeria less in any rating. Going further, Adetoyese Anifalaje noted that every independent country needs collaboration with other like mind countries and this does not in anyway question sovereignty. “There is a fine line that sovereignty protects; and we must understand that our forefathers fought hard for the independence of the nation so no President will watch helplessly while some ragtag insurgents question the foundation and integrity of the nation state. We all must salute the courage of President Bola Tinubu, the Jagaban, for reaching out to President Trump for the kind of collaboration which helped to end Christmas Day terrorist attack against Christians in 2025,” he enthused.
On the issue of Nigerians coming to The UK to study regardless of the burden of huge financial expenses, Anifalaje counseled prospective Masters Student in UK to set their priorities right and seek prior information before stepping out of homeland, adding that while it is good to seek further knowledge abroad, poor information ahead of one’s travelling could be an albatross. He said a good number of Nigerians who had come to study in UK do not take advantage of scholarship sponsorship beacuse of the dearth of information, noting that some who came mingled with wrong company who misguided them.
The Local Government election across United Kingdom is coming up on the 7th May, 2026 and Prince Adetoyese Anifalaje, who is vying for the St.Peter’s ward Councillor slot is asking his constituents to make sure they don’t just register but they should vote and vote right by voting AA ( Adetoyese Anifalaje) of the Green Party. He noted that he has lived long enough among the people to understand their yearning and their desire, adding that this time round, Green Party offers hope as they will not shift the goal post and alter campaign promises as others do.
