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…vows to re-energize Rangers football team

Daberechukwu Egbo & Chetanne Chinelo, Enugu

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Nigeria’s Former Minister for Information and the Enugu state 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Mr Frank Nweke Jr., has promised that within the first 12 months of his administration, water will flow in the state.

Nweke made the promise during the unveiling of his 7-point manifesto on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at Kobb Civic Center, Enugu.

In revealing the contents of the manifesto, Nweke pledged to bring his best efforts to bear on rebuilding Enugu and providing the most basic needs of human existence.

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Regretting that Enugu had regressed in all areas within the current administration, he vowed that his government will be a “You” government, where citizens of Enugu will be included.

“My manifesto comprise of 7 core areas. My approach will be to keep it simple, issues will be tackled one after another. I will revisit our Igbo values of hardwork, honesty and brotherhood”.

He said his government will include a leadership structure that is people focused, accessible and will restore the people’s trust in government.

On how he plans to tackle insecurity, he said his government will address the physical and non physical factors of insecurity, partner with security agencies to enhance surveillance and protect lives, property, welfare and well-being of citizens. He also assured of food security.

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“Security is key, without security there will be no development in a society”, he said.

He stated that his mission for human capital development is to prioritise the total wellbeing of Ndi Enugu through sustained investment and environmental sustainability. He promised to focus on preventive and primary healthcare, improved primary to tertiary education, technical vocational training, women and youth empowerment, children welfare, individuals with special needs and vulnerable individuals.

On economic transformation, Nweke said: “We will work to create a new economy driven by high productivity and supported by efficient and effective government services to generate jobs, create wealth, attract investors into the state.

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“Enugu has beautiful geography, Enugu is richly endowed with good soil. We have arable lands that support the cultivation of palm trees, maize etc, abundant energy resources. Enugu is filled with reputable tertiary institutions, we have a predominant young population, highly educated and talented. Enugu has regional and national trade routes. We will leverage all these to develop the economy of Enugu.

“About 6 out of 10 people in Enugu are unemployed. About 7 out of 10 are living in abject poverty. There are unpaid pensions, weak government institutions. 70% of Enugu’s revenue come from the Federal government, primary school teachers have been on strike. My government will do things differently to improve the lives of Ndi Enugu”, Nweke submitted.

Continuing, he noted that his administration will create integrated development, connected learning, innovative abilities, significant investment in agricultural sector, smarter use of resources, empowering trade industries, tourism and hospitality and invest in creative individuals and the sports industry.

“Enugu is the entertainment capital of the Southeast, the entertainment industry is booming. We will utilise the entertainment industry, we’ll build a film village that will create jobs for young ones and help them harness their creativity. We will revive sports, Rangers football team and invest significantly in fashion”.

Speaking on technology, Nweke said technology and innovation have potentials and opportunities. He promised to make deliberate and conscious efforts to support young stars with innovative technological skills, while establishing tech hubs in the three senatorial zones of the state and ensuring that the education curriculum would be reviewed to really embed digital literacy and technology skills.

On environmental sustainability and infrastructure, he promised to transform Enugu through strategic and result driven investments in the environment. He also stressed the need to abolish open defecation, poor sanitation, pollution and dumping of refuse in all axis of Enugu especially slum areas.

Nweke analysed the water crisis in Enugu, identified three steps in the water value chain and enumerated the sustainable solutions his administration will apply to solve water crisis.

“Without water there’s no life, water is life. I have taken time to go over the water corporation. We have two major bodies of water supplying water to Enugu, Oji river and Ajali (9th mile).

“We will assemble a team of experts that will handle the different steps of the water value chain, production, transmission, distribution and commercials.

“The job of the Water Board and Water Corporation will be to regulate the water distribution process. They will focus on regulatory government. Within the first 12 months of my government water will flow in Enugu”, he assured.

Nweke charged everyone to be conscious of their principles and values as Igbo people and to never forget the concept of shared prosperity (Onye aghana nwanne ya).

During an interactive session between the guber candidate and the attendees, he explained how he would make local governments function in Enugu state.

“Local government allocation will not be tampered with or diverted. The local governments will function effectively. We will encourage highly effective individuals into the local government service.

“In other to fund and implement all these, my government will deploy technological means of transactions, electronic governance (E-governance).

“My government will use market systems approach for government funding. Public and private sector partnerships, private investments will be made in the sectors while my government will create policies, regulations, reduce, simplify and harmonize state taxes and create a bureau of federal liason, a middleman between the state government and federal government”, Nweke stated.