Guber candidate commits to employment generation

Governorship candidate of Labour Party in Enugu for the 2023 general elections, Chijioke Edeoga, has lamented the failure of successive administrations to address poverty and income generation, blaming it for the high unemployment rate and huge income disparity in the state.

Edeoga, who said key in his agenda is to work with other governors and business leaders to make the South East a single and robust market, spoke at a business community town hall meeting with governorship candidates, organised by Enugu State Chamber of Commerce Industries Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) in the capital.

He regretted that past successive administrations had weaponised poverty for selfish ends amid enormous human and natural resources to make the state one of the most vibrant economies in the country.

“The South East should be a huge thriving single market by now, but the opportunities inherent in this have been ignored, largely because of the ego of some of the leaders. But I will work assiduously to lower the imaginary boundaries that are erected to divide us. In doing this, I will collaborate with the governors and business leaders across the South East and South South to ensure that the losses that have been incurred in the past as a result of selfish politicking are reversed through cooperation in the interest of the people,” Edeoga stated.

He said past excuses that Enugu was a civil service state has becWome untenable, saying his focus was to make the state, a business hub, catering to diverse commercial activities in manufacturing and processing, agriculture, tourism, commerce and technology.

Edeoga, who blamed ignorance and poor knowledge of the value of integration for the dichotomy against non-indigenes of the state in the past, said his focus will be to integrate all the people f the southeast who have chosen to make Enugu their home, into the affairs of the state.

“Enugu was built with the talent and resources of all the people of the old eastern Nigeria. We are one and the same people and my government will demonstrably welcome everyone to the rebuilding process. In doing this, I will ensure that commissioners and other competent people that will work with me when we are sworn into office, are selected from all the people that have chosen to make Enugu their home, irrespective of their states of origin,” he stated.

On his plans for agriculture, he stated that his administration will focus on the acquisition of land across the state and allocating same to businesses interested in farming, with attention to solve food production challenges and ramping up processing of goods to maximise the value chain.

Attention, according to him will be on crop production, poultry and livestock, cashew and the peculiar spices that grow in the state as well as palm produce.

On bridging the rural-urban divide, Edeoga, who began his career as a journalist, said he would create new cities across the state, link the rural areas with motorable roads and ensure that Enugu capital is organically decongested and spread to other areas

“The focus on Enugu urban for development is both unproductive and unsettling. We will expand Enugu beyond the GRA and make land available on demand to discourage the reselling and racketeering that has made land prohibitive for investors in the state,” he said.

Going memory lane, Edeoga revealed that, as a member of the House of Representatives, he played a key role in the establishment of the permanent site for the Enugu Trade Fair Complex and invited members of the Chamber to work with him towards elevating the business community for employment generation.

He revealed that past of his plans for agricultural revival would be to deploy local government staff to work in facilitating productive agricultural and industrial ventures, saying his government will not tolerate redundancy an truancy among civil servants and public officials.