My Ambition Is Borne Out of Desire To Improve The Livelihood Ebonyi People

...Says Ebonyi PDP Guber Candidate By Wilson Ogbonnaya Okereke

The gubernatorial candidate of Ebonyi State on the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Founder, Ebele & AnyiChuks Foundation, Chief (Dr) Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, in an exclusive interview with Citizens’ Advocate reporter, Wilson Ogbonnaya Okereke has explained that his aspiration for the race was stimulated by his ernest impulse to change the fortune of Ebonyi people, if elected in the forthcoming general election. EXCERPTS:

Sir, what gave you the courage that you will perform excellently since you are coming into politics for the first time? Actually, I have spent a significant number of years growing various businesses and through my establishment known as Ebele and AnyiChuks Foundation, I have also executed numerous philanthropic works in the state which have provided me with an opportunity to notice the struggles and the pains of the people in Ebonyi State, the situation has challenged me to invest, support and inspire various persons to believe in a better tomorrow. In fact, my ambition is seen as an opportunity to touch more lives and impact positively in the society, I am driven by my passion to transform the state and that was why, I earlier said that my ambition is born out of my desire to improve the livelihood of the people of Ebonyi State and I want to build a state where residents will be empowered to create wealth. Before now I have already interacted with the people of Ebonyi State and supported the development effort of the state through my foundation, I have also executed several corporate social responsibility initiatives and as a son of the soil who fully understand the challenges of the state and who have been actively involved in its journey, my promise is rooted in my deep understanding of the state and on this note, my visions are to make Ebonyi State the preferred investment destination, stimulate opportunities for growth and improve the livelihood and the capacity of the people while my goals include the following: to stimulate economic growth by investing in new and existing infrastructure capable of attracting private capital to stimulate economic activities to improve Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) collection in the state. Though, leading Ebonyi State on this significant transformational part will not be an easy task but we can do it considering my track records because I have over two decades of experience building many enterprises. Sir, may we know some of your agenda?

Yes! the first one is acceleration of economic development and industrialization, my reason for chosen this, is because it is a key driver for wealth creation and under this comes agriculture where I will support and invest in production through mechanization and advanced farming methods to improve yields, I will equally establish special agro industrial processing zones to concentrate on agro processing activities and boost productivity, processing and exporting of selected products. Additionally I will encourage year-around farming though irrigation, strengthen access to finance from Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME), unlock the potential in agriculture by setting aside 400-500 hectares of arable land to attract both major and local foreign investment into high productivity foods and industry, I will equally invest in research for new high yield variety of seedlings, provide input for small farmers and offer technologies and other extension services by fully accessing the support of all Federal government institutions, World Bank, European Union and other development partners. I will strengthen agriculture extension services to support farmers to enable them adopt better farming techniques and enhance market access opportunities and linkages for farmers locally and internationally. Under manufacturing sector: My government will create industrial clusters with enabling infrastructure that will attract small, medium, and large industries from different sectors, I will also establish an economic council charged with productivity and competitive policy reforms for the existing industries. Commencement of privatization design for all poorly performing state owned enterprises and resetting of relevant sectoral reforms to ensure effective regulation of private sector ownership in the state will not be left out and more so, I will develop and mainstream a frame work for Ebonyi State standard for product in other to drive competitiveness in national and international markets. In the area of Trade and Commerce: The issue of non indigene will not be found in the incoming government because the history and development of Ebonyi State will not be complete without the non indigenes unlike the present administration where forceful eviction of legitimately acquired landed properties of non indigenes is experienced.

It is based on the fact that the incoming government believes in fellow-feeling of brotherhood and will not for whatsoever reason discriminate against anybody in the state, in conjunction with Federal government, I will facilitate a bilateral agreement with the Cameroon government and other stakeholders for exportation of cash crops and services leveraging on the presence of a Trans- African high way through Abakaliki to Cameroon. We shall develop intervention programme aimed at supporting the growth of small and medium sized businesses and also develop and implement trade promotion initiatives designed to create more visibility for the state and MSMEs in the state. Concerning Mining and Quarrying: An institution to coordinate the mining activities in the state will be established while we will also set up a cordial working relationship with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals charged with the responsibility of granting, prospecting and mining leases. We will actively promote the participation of Ebonyi citizens and businesses in the mining value chain and ancillary businesses to mining and furthermore we will document and disseminate information on the solid mineral deposit in Ebonyi State coupled with the creation of cordial relationship between communities and their investors. In the area of Tourism: The incoming government will not only embark on a comprehensive review of the sector but also develop the state Cultural/Tourism document to guide tourism growth in the state, equally we will assess the potential impact of each tourism site and prepare a phased approach to develop each site based on a cost-benefit analysis. By grace of God, we will increase funding for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and seek partnership with the private sector, additionally ensure that the ministry and the State Tourism Bureau have greater flexibility to develop and execute initiatives capable of changing the fortunes of the tourism industry in the state, infrastructure that will unlock the potential of the tourist attractions in the state will be developed and also improve accessibility to those sites.