From Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki
An Industrialist and Ebonyi gubernatorial candidate under the platform of the Labour Party (LP), Arc Edward Nkwegu (EDON) has promised to eliminate poverty and its retributive effects in his state with his four-point development agenda.
Arc Edward Nkwegu (EDON), Ebonyi Gubernatorial Candidate of Labour Party.
Arc Nkwegu who stated this on Monday in Abakaliki while having a chat with newsmen, said that he would transform Ebonyi by embarking on economic development through rapid industrialization, agricultural modernization, mineral development, infrastructure enhancement and sustainable jobs and inclusive wealth creation in the state.
The LP governorship standard bearer who said his understanding of leadership is to come and solve problems lamented the high rate of poverty, unemployment and insecurity challenges in Ebonyi and assured his emergence as the governor in 2023 would extinguish them from the state through economic development with its enablers.
He said, "the first one under the economic development agenda is the creation of micro small and medium enterprises, MSMEs."
He promised to embark on an agricultural revolution, by bringing in machines, "because we are still using our local farming tools - hoe and cutlass, used by our great-grandfathers and at that time, the population was very small unlike now we have increased high in our numbers."
He assured of reticulating pipe-bore water across the state, stressing that part of his economic development was to create 13,000 MSMEs and 250, 000 jobs within his two years in office if emerged as a governor of Ebonyi State in 2023.
"Part of our economic development is to reticulate water across the state, and this will help us to create micro small and medium industries. There will be great employees and it will also increase our internally generated revenues.
"We also consider that it is important to create jobs, jobs and jobs. As I said I want to create 250, 000 direct jobs in the first two years, as I want to incubate 13,000 micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the first two years of my administration if I'm elected as the governor of Ebonyi State in 2023. I know what it takes," Dr Nkwegu vowed.
On his civic programmes, the 2023 governorship hopeful promised to look into education by concentrating on access, quality and relevance in the sector.
He explained: "By access, we mean to have access to educational infrastructure, educational institutions, making sure, there is a conducive environment for learning and making it accessible to the people.
"When we talk about quality and relevance, we are looking at curricula reformation to ensure that students learn what reflects today's present situation and skills. When we talk about education, we are going to work on access quality and relevance and we will be able to make such pupils learn what is relevant to their environment."
He said his civic responsibility, would also ensure improved health care and delivery, empowerment of the youths, women and vulnerable people, and to be paying special attention to sports and entertainment initiatives.
He assured good governance by promoting transparency, accountability, rule of law, and reformation of civil and public service through the cultivation of the spirit of tolerance and inclusive government under his watch if he emerges as governor.
He maintained that his administration would build a 'healthy environment,' by sanitizing, planning and developing sustainable markets, villages, communities and cities in the state.
Earlier, Arc Nkwegu disclosed that the poverty index rate of Ebonyi state according to the data from the Bureau of Statistics was about 70.6 per cent, and it belongs to the ten poorest states in Nigeria; noting that the human development index rate now, is not a going area.
He urged the Ebonyi people to be careful in choosing their leaders not only for the gubernatorial seat but across all the elective positions in 2023. He recommended that the people should not delay in canvassing massive support for a candidate who has the potential to save them from deprivation, by voting for a candidate whose character, competence, capacity, creativity and commitment are not in doubt.
