Abia APP governorship candidate lists priorities
BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia
Abia State Governorship Candidate of Action Peoples Party (APP), Chief Mascot Uzor Kalu, says job creation, evolving a 50-year development plan, improving Abia’s business environment and rebuilding of infrastructure would be his priorities if Abians prefer him to be their governor in 2023.
In a chat with newsmen at the party Secretariat in Umuahia, Kalu said that he would create 40, 000 jobs in his four-year term, invest heavily in Aba to improve the revenue base of the state and construct several roads to give the network of roads in the state a facelift.
The APP standard bearer who said he was having sleepless nights as graduates were roaming the streets without jobs, promised to revive moribund industries in the state.
“Our goal is to revive all the moribund industries,” he said, explaining that this measure would help to create employment, alleviate poverty and check rising crime rate in the state.
He said that if he climbs to power, state-owned moribund and multi-national industries operating in the state such as Modern Ceramics and Coca-cola, among others, would bounce back to life.
“We will create 10,000 jobs each year, bringing it to a total of 40,000 in the first four years of our administration in order to reduce unemployment rate in the state.
“The number of youths roaming the streets of Abia without jobs is alarming. Taking into account, the frustration among the youths, we will begin on time to address the issue of unemployment in the state when we come on board.
“We will also do our best to revive moribund companies: Coca-cola, Modern Ceramics, among others, by partnering with businessmen in the private sector. We will equally invest in the tourism sector, develop the Azumini Blue River and other tourist sites in the state,” Kalu promised.
He assured that Aba, being the revenue base of the state, would experience infrastructural rebirth as his administration would give the commercial city the maximum attention it deserves.
According to Kalu, his administration would reconstruct the drainage systems in Aba to address the perennial flood menace which devastates the city during rainy seasons.
Apart from tackling the infrastructural deficit in Aba, Kalu added that within 90 days of assumption of office, he would invest heavily in Aba which serves as the biggest revenue basket of the state, explaining that the return on such investments would provide financial resources for developing other parts of the State.
Kalu who was the first Chief of Staff to Governor Theodore Orji in 2007, promised to boost infrastructural development as his administration would adopt the policy of constructing about 15 kilometers of new roads in each local government area of the state annually to link rural areas with urban cities.
In the area of welfare, he said “the prompt payment of workers’ salaries will be our top priority; salaries will be paid between 25th and 29th of every month. This will boost the morale of our workers and grow the economy of the state.”
The American-trained business man said he has the requisite experience to pilot the affairs of Abia, adding that his experience as an international businessman and a politician puts him ahead of other candidates angling to govern Abia.
“Abia needs a governor like me who understands the Abia System, understands the Nigerian business climate and understands the international business settings, I am an American trained businessman .”
Also speaking, the APP Deputy Governorship Candidate, Prof Osondu Akomas, urged the electorate in Abia to vote for all the candidates of the party in 2023, pointing out that APP was determined to change the story of governance in the state.
