The gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia state, Prof Uchenna Ikonne, has declared that his mission is to create a better and greater Abia if elected as governor of the state in the 2023 general election. He made this known while speaking with newsmen at the “Uche Ndia Abia” campaign office in Umuahia on Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022.
During the interaction, he first of all laid emphasis on the feats he has achieved in the field of academics, and how he will showcase the same administrative prowess if elected as governor of Abia state. He also indicated that he is the most qualified when compared with the candidates of the other political parties in the state.
Speaking during the media interaction, Prof. Ikonne stated that:
“My mission is to create a greater Abia, and how I want to achieve this is through participator governance. Every segment of Abia will be involved in the governance of the state. A good percentage of my government will be dominated by the youth. There will be even development of all parts of the state, irrespective of the local government or senatorial district. The ultimate objective is to create a better Abia, uplift the life of Abians, and take Abia state as a whole to a global level”.
“Community projects will come from the people (residents), through this means, they will own and supervise the projects properly. This will make the indigenes of a community to be more interested in what the government is doing. The indigenes will be sensitized and become more responsible”.
The PDP gubernatorial candidate also said that every local government in Abia state will have a team that will be in charge of road maintenance. The youths of the communities will be involved, thereby creating employment opportunities for them.
Also read: I Have Constructed Roads that Will Stand the Test of Time – Gov. Ikpeazu
On the aspect of trade and investment, Prof. Ikonne said that Abia is filled with critical manpower.
“I will bring in the skilled manpower that is outside Abia, back to develop the state. Aba is critical to the development of Ndi Igbo, Most of the successful entrepreneurs I met outside Abia always trace their route back to Aba”.
TIGER Economy
“The “T” in my TIGER Economy mantra stands for trade. When we talk about trade, we are not just talking about buying and selling. We will work with the business community in Aba to improve their trade program. We will think globally and strategize locally. We will establish a school of business in Aba, this is to promote trade to global standards”.
“We have an Abian who is the secretary of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), we need to take advantage of this”.
Talking about the payment of salaries of workers, Prof. said that”
“Staff welfare will be a priority for me. I don’t have the moral justification to ask for quality from staff if I owe him. If I need the best from you, I will need to pay. Every labourer. Is entitled to his wages, but we should not emphasize the wages aspect without considering the functions of a labourer. Every labourer must have a positive impact in an Organization before being entitled to his wages”.
On the aspect of prejudices that have separated Abians for some time now, Prof. Ikonne gave proactive measures that will curb the menace.
“Abia cannot be primitive if I emerge as the governor. We will put away all prejudices that have separated us for a long while. I have a plan of sending a youth in each local government abroad to learn leadership management. We will have a functional youth development center in the state”.
Responding to the question asked if the present governor of Abia state, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, chose him as a stooge, Prof, Ikonne stated that:
“Anybody claiming the governor appointed me as a surrogate is abusing my academic capacity. He only encouraged my candidacy, because he wants his successor to be someone he knows and can be proud of. It’s all about a question of character. I am here to defend the integrity of academia all over the world”.
Summarizing the interaction, Prof. Uche Ikonne said he is the most qualified candidate in the 2023 Abia governorship race, and he aims to take Abia to greater heights, not only locally but across the globe.
