The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has said that Ezeagu Local Government Area of the state will play a pivotal role in the actualisation of his master plan and economic blueprint for the state, if elected the next governor in the forthcoming elections.
Mbah stated this yesterday at Mgbagbu Owa and Umuna, both headquarters of Ezeagu Central and Ezeagu South Development Centres in the council area at town hall meetings which attracted stakeholders from different communities, professions and associations.
Reacting to the presentations and demands made by the people of the development centres, Mbah said the local government was blessed with abundant resources that have been laying dormant over the years, stressing that his administration would activate and operationalise those assets for the benefits of the state.
According to him, his government will harness the arable agricultural potential in the area for revenue drive and massive employment of both the youths and women. Mbah insisted that the state has the capacity to feed itself and other states with the deployment of technology to migrate the agricultural sector from subsistence to agro-allied processing sector which will commercialize the sector.
Pledging to declare war on hunger and poverty in the state, the governorship hopeful maintained that his government will achieve food security for the state and become a major export hub in the country.
In order to achieve the laudable projects of tapping into other resources in the area, Mbah underscored why his manifesto prioritises infrastructure which included 10,000 kilometers of roads across the state within the next eight years, partnering with major investors and engaging the youth productively.
The governorship candidate, who is an industrialist, reassured the people that all the sectors that will serve as catalyst for revenue generation, economic boom, wealth creation, employment, and development will be optimally explored and exploited to move the state to enviable heights.
He noted that the Okpoko River Picnic centre in Ihuezi Obinofia Ndiuno, Heneke Lake in Obinofia Ndiuno, the Premier Cashew industry in Oghe with about 2,000 hectares of land, the Ebechukwu Cave in Ihuezi Obinofia Ndiuno, and Igwuetiti Amansiodo Oghe oil well will all be activated and turned into productive assets that will make the state one of the top three states in Nigeria in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), standard of living, job creation, and industrialisation.
While maintaining that his integrated sectoral plan will link all the access roads to further expand the market and scale up production, Mbah reiterated that the popular Ikedimkpa road, the Ninth Mile-Agubu-Owa-Mgbagbu-Owa-Greater Water Scheme en route Awka road will be constructed as infrastructure is critical to his administration.
Promising that his government’s target revolves around the youth who will constitute the major workforce, the oil and gas magnate reiterated that skills acquisition and vocational training centres that will upscale and upskill them to meet up with the new skills that investors will require will be impacted, including availability of social amenities.
Speaking earlier, spokespersons for the different communities and associations at the townhall meetings promised to continue to mobilise their people to vote for the party, especially its governorship candidate whom they described as an epitome of good governance, competence and capacity.
They expressed confidence that Mbah would bring in his wealth of experience from the private sector and trigger industrial revolution through his comprehensive manifesto and statement of purpose.
The chairman of the council area, Hon. Chukwudi Ozoeluba declared that his people had already adopted Mbah’s candidacy as their collective project, and vowed to deliver him in all the polling units in the council area.
Corroborating the above, the member representing the council area at the Ezeagu State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Chima Obieze said his people will spare no effort in delivering massive votes that will surprise the state in the election.
While appealing to the governorship candidate to look at the state of infrastructure in the communities in the local government, Hon. Obieze insisted that Mbah came to serve the people and would deliver on his uncommon leadership trajectory that will transform the face of his constituency.
On his part, the senatorial candidate of Enugu West senatorial district, Osita Ngwu stated that Mbah had been consistent in his mission to transform the socio-economic status of the state, urging him to attract more industries that will engage the teeming youths when he assumes office.
Meanwhile, in a related development, a group of first class traditional rulers led by the Chairman, Ezeagu Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Augustine Uzobuenyi Otiji of Aguobu Umumba Autonomous Community, has presented a golden ófó staff, a symbol of authority and acceptance, to Dr. Mbah, praying for his success in the election.
Igwe Uzobuenyi, who spoke at the ceremony, expressed confidence that Mbah will emerge victorious in the election because of his wide acceptance and topnotch rating he enjoys across the state.
While presenting the golden ófó staff, the traditional ruler said it was the first of its kind, adding that Mbah would do well if elected.
Clarifying his position as a non-partisan traditional ruler, the royal father said he was supporting Mbah because of his excellent background in the private sector, and his robust townhall meetings initiated to reach out to the people even in the hinterlands.
