Xolani Kojo

Xolani Kojo
زولاني كوجو
File:Xolani Kojo.png
11th President of Onza
In office 1 January 2010 – 1 January 2018
Preceded by	Shakil Hussain
Succeeded by	Mustapha Ihejirika
Senator
In office 1 January 2004 – 1 January 2010
Preceded by	Nura Neo
Succeeded by	Simba Khaled
Personal details
Born	19 July 1979 Kunta, Onza
Nationality	Onzaian
Political party	Democratic Socialist Party
Spouse	Ayesha Kojo (m. 2002)
Children	Munira Kojo
Alma mater	University of Kunta
Signature	Xolani Kojo's signature

Xolani Dubaku Kojo (born 19 July 1979) was the 11th President of Onza and a former Senator, serving as the former from 2010 to 2017 while serving as the latter from 2004 to 2010.

Kojo was born to lawyer and top adviser to President Kayin Ayodele, Khaled Kojo, and CFO of IT giant KomCo, Akachi Kojo in the suburbs of Kunta. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political science from the University of Kunta in 2001. He briefly attended the school's law school in late 2002 before dropping out and deciding to run for public office. His father, Khaled, served as a primary official in the campaign and Kojo was elected successfully to the Senate in 2004 -- a relatively rare occurrence for someone with little political background.

Kojo came under the wing of Senator Baqi Nur ad-Din -- a senior member of the Senate Justice Committee. Under Nur ad-Din, Kojo became a strong advocate for human rights in the nation, noted particularly for his sharp, concise rhetoric that avoided the long-style speech making traditionally favored by the legislature.

In 2009, Kojo was asked by the Dem Socs to run for President. The party took a risk on a less experienced candidate due to confidence in the wake of predecessor Shakil Hussain's unpopularity. Kojo campaigned heavily on a platform promoting humanitarianism and community service and was successfully elected in August of 2010.

Kojo established the famous Kojo Doctrine, which reversed the longstanding Mudima Doctrine and allowed the UDE to begin formalizing interactions with other nations of the world.

Early life and career

Kojo was born on 19 July 1979 as the first and only child of Khaled and Akachi Kojo. Khaled enjoyed a lucrative career as a criminal prosecutor for much of his life before rising in prominence in the world of politics, eventually becoming one of the top advisers to President Kayin Ayodele. Akachi moved around to various corporate jobs, but became the CFO of tech giant KomCo in 1976 -- a job which she continues to hold today.

Kojo attended Ganizani High School in Kunta and was accepted into the honors program at the University of Kunta in 1997 and graduated with his Bachelors in Political Science in 2002. Kojo participated as an undergrad in research relating to the impact of policy ignorance on isolated communities scattered in the Onzaian deserts -- a project that underscored the issues he would later be known for focusing on.

Kojo was accepted into the University of Kunta's School of Law during his senior year of undergrad, but dropped out in late 2002 when junior Senator Nura Neo announced her intentions to retire from the Senate that year. His father, Khaled, encouraged him to pursue the position, eventually going as far as to launch and virtually manage the campaign himself.

Political career

Senator

Kojo was elected successfully by fair margins and was taken under the guidance of Senator Baqi Nur ad-Din of the Senate Human Rights Committee to help quell public reservations about a man of Kojo's age and inexperience holding such a prominent office. ad-Din worked with Kojo on issues of human rights -- especially those pertaining to the living conditions of those in isolated desert communities.

In 2006, Kojo gained national attention when he publicly criticized President Shakil Hussain for his comments pertaining to these isolated communities. Many Dem Soc Congressmen praised Kojo's concise-but-powerful rebuke of Hussain's remarks, and the attention his remarks received underscored the major decline in popularity that ensued for Hussain.

By 2009, Kojo had become a seasoned Senator, having worked on several prominent pieces of legislation, returned to law school and earned his JD, and become a household name for his levelheaded commentary on heated issues. Kojo's calm demeanor also won him the respect of the older faction of Senators -- often with unprecedented enthusiasm.

President

The Dem Soc party leadership tapped Kojo's number as a potential candidate for President in early 2009, and within a few weeks, Kojo's presidential campaign had launched. Kojo campaigned on a platform of humanitarianism and human rights for all.

Kojo secured the 2010 Presidential Election with a landslide victory, defeating Liberal candidate Atuf Tamid.

File:Xolani Kojo 2.png

Kojo made regular public appearances at celebrity events in the hopes of combating political apathy.

Kojo's presidency was generally popular, albeit uneventful aside from his successful campaigns to secure more funding for the sciences and national infrastructure, up until 2017. Kojo also invested in military weapons development research and in general pushed for reforms intended to improve the efficiency of the bureaucracy.

On 17 May 2017, Kojo issued an Executive Order to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directing the Ministry to seek suitable candidates to serve as the nation's first official ambassadors to a number of foreign nations. The move, dubbed the Kojo Doctrine, reversed a half-century of relative isolationism established under President Adewale Mudima, and was met with polar, mixed reactions.

In the ensuing months, Kojo championed the move, touting that it would galvanize Onzaian economic and social growth. Although the majority of citizens at the time revealed in polls that they were optimistic, several prominent political figures declared the move a disaster.

Since, the UDE has joined the Commonwealth of Democratic Nations and solidified its sense of affinity towards other democratic nations. However, relations with nations such as Saraibia swelled notably under Kojo's administration, with Kojo deciding -- to controversy -- to refrain from engaging Saraibia in a military confrontation following the 19 August attacks.

Torture controversy

On 21 May 2018, radical detainee rights group Humans for Ethical Action in Response to Terrorism (HEART) published a web posting claiming to be in possession of hard evidence showing Kojo had ordered and even was present during the torture of 23 individuals detained on suspicions of terrorism and other related charges throughout his presidency. The report was taken seriously by many around the country, and received widespread media coverage. The posting prompted a Congressional inquiry into the matter, which HEART complied with by sending the entirety of the report to a special investigative committee formed by the Senate. By sometime in early July, the committee had determined that the report was fraudulent, but wanted to first confront the group about the matter prior to going public. On 20 July, just one day after the the time window the committee gave the organization to respond to its findings, the committee publicly announced that the report was a hoax and that Kojo had done nothing wrong. Moments later, HEART posted an online message taking credit for the publicity stunt and detailed the lengths they went to in order to make the report appear authentic. HEART wrote that the motivation behind the hoax was to call attention to its mission, but noted that in the process it exposed vulnerabilities in the Congressional oversight process.

Personal life

Keeping the tradition carried by past Presidents, Kojo's personal life was left free from the media spotlight for the majority of his term. The rise of use of the Internet led to a slightly greater interest in Kojo's life, though still not a tremendous amount compared to other democratic nations. Kojo married Ayesha Otieno in 2002, shortly before launching his Senate campaign. Otieno served as a major campaigner for Kojo and is widely credited for using her connections within communities of the Irsadic faith to help secure Kojo's victory. Kojo himself is an atheist.

The couple bore their first child, Munira Kojo, in March of 2015.