Abia 2023: Prof Ikonne pledges inclusive governance, industrial rebirth

The gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Prof Elieazer Uche Ikonne, has pledged to accelerate infrastructural and industrial rebirth, create most congenial business environment and position the state on the path of irreversible growth.

Prof Ikonne who was hosted to several meetings by Abia State stakeholders in Lagos State enlisted full support of the people in enthroning a government that would restore the status of the state as preferred investment destination in the country.

Prof Ikonne appealed for the support of Abia people in the upcoming gubernatorial elections, promising to provide all factors of production, dismantle all disincentives to investments and drive even development of all geo-political sections of the state.

The accomplished professor who successfully served out his tenure as the Vice Chancellor of Abia State University declared that his candidature is a call to duty, promising that his administration of the state’s government would prime-up every system in the state for enhanced productivity.

Prof Ikonne and his running mate, Barr Okey Igwe, were received in Lagos weekend by professional and business thought leaders from Isuochi in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the State. The meeting was to solidify the smooth partnership between the PDP governorship campaign team and key stakeholders from Abia North.

Prof Ikonne who spoke to The Oracle Today on the margins of the meeting said he would, when elected, deploy options and strategies for ease of doing business for investors, including simplification of processes and provision of services.

The overall plan, he said, would be to make the state attractive to local and international investments capital. And with a good operating environment, he added, local and international companies would establish their businesses to produce goods, services, and employment opportunities.

Prof Ikonne also pledged resolve all security challenges currently facing the state. He pointed out that economic and social activities do not thrive in an unsafe environment.

On factors of production, the governorship hopeful said he would introduce an infrastructural development model that would involve all stakeholders in a public, private and community partnership (PPCP). He explained that such partnerships would make it easy to pool resources to drive projects.

He said infrastructural rebirth in the state has become urgent to evolve an operating environment that guarantees basic factors of production, including good network of roads, electricity and highly skilled workforce.

To make the Abia environment congenial for investors, Prof Ikonne explained that he would run an administration that would prioritize completion of all infrastructural development programmes and projects the foundations of which, he noted, have been laid by the incumbent administration of the state.

He explained that result of investments in establishing strong foundation for infrastructural recovery in the past eight years were not palpable due to wide gaps. He however said his administration of the government, when voted in, would accelerate development of infrastructural base for industrialization.

On energy, Prof Ikonne pointed at the status of Abia as oil and gas producing state. He said petroleum industry operations in the state present rare opportunity for the state to continue to host investors in related business activities.

He pointed at power generation plants, electricity minigrid concessions and captive power projects already active in Aba as models that his administration would expand to furthermost parts of the state to stimulate cottage industries.

He also spoke of a plan that would deliberately stimulate cottage industries through location and localization of industries in areas of the state where there are the comparative advantages for raw materials and other production inputs.

Prof Ikonne explained that the process of establishing industries at locations of comparative advantage would also deliver the accompanying objective of spreading opportunities across the state and achieving even and simultaneous development.

He also emphasized the role of skilled and efficient workforce as undeniable asset for development, adding that he has plans to accelerate improvement of formal and informal education at all levels to position the state for emerging business platforms that are established on digital platforms.

From primary, secondary, tertiary and vocational forms of education; Prof Ikonne promised to impact every Abia youth with different instructional models that would make them valuable and productive in their chosen fields of endeavor. He promised to consolidate of exiting programme that has modernized shoe making in Aba with smart tools and equipment.

He also pledged to optimize the utilization of the skills, capacity and capabilities of the state’s civil service; stressing that the full potentials of the civil service personnel in the state needs to be properly harnessed and deployed for improved productivity.

He made it clear that human capital development would be key target of his plan to transform the civil servants into digitally honed workforce that would be required to deliver smarter social services.

Prof Ikonne also pledged to run a data-based administration which, according to him, would integrate community level governance structures into a central decision making forum. He explained that the process would leverage digital technology in harnessing demands, generating feedbacks and processing needs of various communities along priority lines.  

He explained that electronic platforms for micro-governance integration, even and simultaneous development, extension of infrastructure and social services to the fringe communities, and rural cottage industries would jointly form the key instruments of inclusive government model of administration which he plans to introduce in 2023.