By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki
The former Minister of State for Health, Engr. Chief Fidelis Nwankwo, Tuesday in Abakaliki, officially declared to contest for the governorship position of Ebonyi State under the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) come 2023 general elections.
Nwankwo who anchored his speech on the title, "The Power I Seek is the Power to Do Good," said, his declaration followed his wide range of consultations and the resultant overwhelming positive response and encouragement, with love for the state.
He said that his agenda would be based on a four-point cardinal programme, including "functional education, job creation and youth empowerment, rural development and due process of governance."
He noted that any nation or state which has the intention to develop and sustain the most acceptable trend progressively has no other choice than to give priority to education and invest in it.
"I cannot agree with Confucius the Chinese philosopher, poet and politician who philosophized: "If you are planning for a year, plant " Cassava," if you are planning for 10 years, plant a tree; but if you are planning for 100 years, plant education.
"It is, therefore, my firm belief that we need to prioritise and invest in education in Ebonyi State to kick-start real development that will involve and impact the people and sustained to the foreseeable future because educational development has for long remained my passion and for me, the panacea for sustained development."
He further revealed that at present, the foundation of education in Ebonyi, especially primary schools are 'in a sorry state,' noting that the "teacher population is no more than 30 per cent of the requirement."
He promised to "fill the gap by recruiting the best and brightest sons and daughters of the state, those who have qualifications in education like NCE and Bachelors Degree, especially in the areas of Science, Mathematics and English Language will be retained and posted our elementary and junior secondary school while those with a university degree will be sent to the Senior Secondary Schools.
"Those without qualification in education but with good results and willing to make a career in education will be given intensive training for three months.
"Government, in turn, will offer financial incentive better than what is obtained in the civil service to them."
He added that his "mission is to produce a child from the rural primary school who can compete with another from Loyola Jesuit College and the likes."
The former Minister said that he would ultimately reduce graduate unemployment drastically in the state, describing as scandalous and unacceptable, the current unemployment status of the country at a ratio of 35 per cent, compared to that of Ghana at 4.5 per cent today.
In his observation, in the most developed democracies that one of the most used indices for means of the success of a government is job creation.
He maintained that his administration would pursue with aggression, "youth employment in both formal and informal sectors with an emphasis on filling quotas of Ebonyi State share of positions of enabling environment and grants, low intuit loans and free training to help youths create their business in the area in micro small and medium scale enterprise, MSME."
The gubernatorial aspirant, also lamented the neglect of the rural areas in the provision of the necessities of life like clean water, good sanitation, roads, electricity and in the favour of white elephant projects that hardly hold value to our lives but consume a chunk of the state funds, remains the bane of our underdevelopment.
He, however, assured that his government would prioritise the provision of the decentralised water system, rural electrification, and rural roads, alongside the development of the primary health care system, expressing hope that these would trigger a massive growth in micro and small industries in the rural areas.
Nwankwo who assured of well-articulated meaningful and sustainable programmes and projects noted that there is a need for the renewal of the faith of the Ebonyi people in the established due process of running the government.
"My government will not only provide a government that is characterised by the sincerity of purpose but also act with civility and anchored on established due process of running government business.
"This will help to restore normalcy in all facets of our life including the security of lives and properties of the citizens.
"As a matter of policy, all those who live in the state, do their business here and pay taxes will be regarded as the citizens of the state, and accorded the full right of the citizens. The term non-indigene will therefore no place in my government.
"For emphasis, my government will revisit the issue of all those whose properties including shops at Abakpa market and buildings in other parts of the state were destroyed with a view of replacing them or paying them compensation," he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the occasion - Onwe Solomon Onwe, Leader of Ebonyi Women Wing - Ngozi Nwaleke, Representative of Human Rights Advocate - Barr Steve I. Opoke, Chairman of Omerugophu Campaign Organisation -Samuel Odefa, among other speakers during the event maintained that zoning of governorship position in Ebonyi State remains sacrosanct, and called for unwavering support for the victory of Nwankwo both in the primary and general elections.
