The Action Peoples Party (APP) governorship candidate for Abia State in the 2023 general election, Chief Mascot Uzor Kalu, says he has a 30-year development blueprint which he will use to fix Abia when he becomes the next governor of the state in 2023. Speaking to Complete Politics during an exclusive interview, Chief Mascot Kalu said that he will, among other things, give free primary and secondary education to Abians, build and equip health centres and construct a minimum of 15-20 kilometres of road in every local government area in Abia.
Excerpts:
Why do you want to be governor of Abia State?
“From your question, it is obvious that people aspire to elective positions for different reasons. Some go into the office for personal enrichment, others for fame, and yet others to serve. I belong to the last category that wants to serve because I have already been blessed by God with personal riches and I am not sure I want to have fame that is not anchored on service to humanity. So basically, I aspire to be governor of Abia because I want to serve my people. “Wherever I go in Abia, I see gaps that should be filled, I see opportunities that can be harnessed for our collective gains, and yet I see how our people are suffering, and I have come to the conclusion that it is time for me to step in and offer the necessary leadership that would take our state to the next level of sustainable growth and development.”
What particular things will you do differently because other aspirants, and even people that have served or are currently serving, have made similar promises that came to nothing?
“Do not forget that I am coming from a position of strength, having served at the highest level of our state administration as Chief of Staff to a Governor. Because of that singular experience, I know the internal workings of government. I know where mistakes were made and lessons learned, and I know what we, as a government and people, can do to make things better and make better things. On the strength of that experience, I have a 30-year development plan which will serve as a blueprint and master plan for taking Abia to the top of the pack. This plan is strategic because it connects all the sectors of our lives: the economy, politics, and society to create a structure of governance that will be inclusive, stable, and future-oriented. This plan will survive my government and subsequent governments will not only find it useful but also be drawn into its finest attributes to maintain the trajectory it will create in governance and development.”
What are the salient points of this 30-year development plan?
“They are basically developed along sectoral themes. It will not be exhaustive in this interview, but I will capture the basic tenets and my manifesto deals with them in a more elaborate form.
“Human capital development, health and wellbeing
It will essentially focus on human capital development through qualitative free primary and secondary education. Good and basic education is one of the foundations as well as a building block for a society that wants to experience growth. We will invest massively in the education of our children because that is the only way we can have a secure future. Our government will prioritize Abians’ health and well-being by constructing at least five new health centers in each local government area of the state, as well as maintaining existing primary and secondary health facilities and equipping them with cutting-edge technology. We would build residential buildings and employ qualified and essential staff like nurses and doctors to guarantee their round-the-clock presence. We will ensure that salaries and pensions are paid promptly as from the 25th day of every month and at the latest on the 29th day of every month.
“Road infrastructure for strategic alignment with economic growth. A good road network is a sine qua non of any development effort in every society. We will embark on the massive construction of road infrastructure in all the local government areas to interconnect them with one another and build an economic hub around the great industrial potential of the human and material resources in Abia. As such, our government would build a minimum of 15-20 kilometres of road in all the local government areas in Abia State to interconnect the rural and urban cities for easy movement of people and goods, especially agro-products.”
“Food security in Abia.
We will embark on an Agricultural Credit Scheme and a production process that we tag “Operation Abia Must Feed Itself”. Through this project, youths, men, and women from each community will participate in the production of an agricultural product (s) in which the community has a comparative advantage, and our government will leverage those products and encourage the community with credit and Mechanic schemes, which will feed that community, Abians, and export the same wherever possible.”
“Employment opportunities
We will create employment and job opportunities so that when our youth graduate, there will be employment opportunities. Abia has enormous potential in minerals and human resources, and we will take advantage of the talent of our youths in various sectors like ICT and mechanical engineering, for which Abia is typically known through innovations and inventions, to make the youths gainfully employed and take them away from the criminality that unemployment feeds. And if you see a graduate riding a Keke or Okada in Abia, it’s because the youth chose to do so rather than because there aren’t enough jobs and opportunities.”
“Urban renewal and new cities.
We will make desperate efforts at urban renewal by ensuring that current facilities in the two major cities of Aba and Umuahia are upgraded. Specifically, our government will bring back the glory days of Aba city and ensure that the trade that used to boom in Aba in the past is rekindled to give hope and succour to our people.
“We will tactfully redesign Aba and Umuahia and its environs to be of the 21st century standard, even as we establish two more major cities to de-congest Aba and Umuahia. The creation of new cities will be aimed at reducing the rural-urban drift and will be strategically connected with building the rural agricultural infrastructure through road connectivity and financial assistance to farmers to ensure the food security I talked about.”
What will change when APP leads the government in Abia?
“I will answer this question by posing some questions to you, and from there we will get answers. “Was there a time in Abia State when there was free primary and secondary education? The answer is yes. Was there a time in Abia State when workers’ salaries were paid as at and when due? The answer is yes. Was there a time in Abia State that roads were not in these deplorable conditions? Can the government create employment and job opportunities for Abians as they did before? The answer is yes. If the answers to these questions are all positive, then what it means is that it can be done. Simply put, that is what will change to how it used to be and even better when the APP takes over government in Abia State in 2023, because we will bring back the good old days in Abia. There’s so much we can do for our people, and with God on our side, we will deliver more than we are promising and, in fact, exceed expectations.”
