ABIANS, WEEP NO MORE; HELP IS ON THE WAY (A Text Of My Governorship Manifesto)- By Dr. Alex Otti. (Continued from last week)
TRANSPORTATION: ROADS AND RAIL
Abia state has one of the most dilapidated road networks in the country. From Aba to Umuahia, to Ukwa, to Arochukwu, road transport infrastructure is either non-existent or has completely collapsed. When you elect me into office, I will lead a team that will:
- Review and redesign the road network master plans for Aba and Umuahia, in line with present day realities and needs.
- Partner with the private sector to deploy modern technology in the design and construction of new roads. We shall also undertake aggressive rehabilitation and upgrading of existing road networks, especially in Aba and Umuahia.
- Introduce strict measures for contractors’ pre-qualificatfion, to ensure that only the best contractors work in the state. Also, overhaul the public offices that are responsible for supervision, training and equipping officers with the right modern tools that will enable them deliver world class services.
- Actively improve inter and intra community road links in phases.
- Ensure that road users comply with traffic rules, to make our roads safer.
- Collaborate with researchers and engineers, to determine and design that right technical frameworks for building durable roads depending on use, resources and location.
- Ensure that all road construction proposals and designs must have provisions for, at least, five year maintenance clause.
- Create a framework that enables communities to take ownership, watch over the roads and other public assets in their neighbourhood or communities.
Safe movement of people and goods across the state is a key enabler to our achieving the economic growth and prosperity that our government is determined to deliver. In order to make this process seamless, in addition to our plans for road infrastructure that we catalogued above, we shall also:
- Remodel all government approved motor parks in our urban centres, and equip them with modern facilities for the convenience of drivers motor park workers and commuters.
- Ensure that all the businesses of loading and transferring passengers are carried out in the designated motor parks. This will enhance the safety of commuters, and ease traffic on our roads.
- Provide ambulances and emergency assistance at strategic locations on major highways, offer first aid and timely evacuation support to accident victims.
- It is our plan to connect major communities by light rail to support access. This would be a PPP project. The line will start from Ukwa, going through Aba and Umuahia, through Bende, Ohafia, terminating in Arochukwu. A spur from Bende will link Isiukwuato and Umunneochi to the network.
POWER
Our economic programmes are geared towards promoting enterprises, supporting production and creating a robust industrial ecosystem in the state. None of these would be possible unless we work to ensure that entrepreneurs and business owners get the electricity they need to power their machines and drive their operations. Having made my modest contribution to the realization of the geometric power project, in my previous life in the banking industry, which saw to the creation of Aba as an island, we shall replicate or ensure the expansion of the island to cover the whole state to support other designated industrial and agro-production centres in Umuahia, Ohafia and other communities in the state.
We shall therefore-
- Collaborate with the Enugu electricity distribution company to improve power supply in our cities, town, and the remaining part of the state.
- Collaborate with the Federal Government (FG) to leverage on the gas programme for the production and supply of electricity for our industrial machines and homes
- Explore investment opportunities in renewable energy where appropriate for domestic and industrial applications. Support investment opportunities in renewable energy, giving that renewables comprise the power source of the future, as the world gradually pushes for net zero emissions and clean energy.
- Work with the private sector to support gas processing in the Ukwa oil and gas belt. Gas has been designated as the transition energy source worldwide. We must take advantage of this and enjoy the party while it lasts.
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture, as practiced today is unable to create jobs or take people out of poverty. This is because most of our farmers are involved in subsistence farming. Mechanized farming is the way to go, but this will also not create jobs. It will however, support economic growth and guarantee food security. We shall therefore, support it.
To create jobs, we will support the value chain in terms of processing, packaging, and exporting final products.
We shall pursue the following programmes and policies to expand the frontiers of agriculture in the state.
- Create a framework that would enable effective processing, storage and packaging agro-produce across the state, to enhance their value
- Establish cluster farming activities across the three senatorial zones. These cooperatives will be programmed to grow crops on a comparative advantage basis. A credit scheme will be introduced to facilitate and provide funding for this cooperatives on a sustainable basis.
- Marketing boards will be established to off-take primary products from farmers, and guarantee minimum returns for their products.
- Robust local and international marketing frontiers will be activated to enable qualified farmers push their products beyond the boundaries of the state in processed forms.
- Create an industrial base in the state to feed from their raw produce of agriculture, to help preserve farm produce and avoid waste.
- Collaborate with institutions that are focused on agricultural development (NIRSAL, CBN, ADB, EU, World Bank) to expand opportunities for upscale financing.
- For enhanced productivity, we shall seek the best seedlings of various crops varieties, fertilizers and other input from across the world to guarantee that our farmers get the best yield per hectare.
SOLID MINERALS
Abia state is gifted with the presence of solid minerals in commercial quantity. We have ceramic-quality clay, kaolin, bentonite, limestone, phosphate, copper, lead, zinc, gypsum, and other solid minerals that can yield revenue in local and foreign currencies to the state. The present situation is that this minerals are being mined without control and care for the environment, resulting in erosion and other negative impacts on the environment.
We will-
- Structure mining activities in the state to enable us extract full value, create jobs, and collect revenues and ensure that the environment is not permanently harmed.
- Introduce use of technology to regulate and monitor the activities of miners, to ensure that they are operating strictly according to the terms of their respective permits.
- Support the setting up of industries that will add value to the raw materials through processing. A new, technologically driven model ceramics industry would receive support as we intend to relaunch it in Ohiya, Umuahia South, where kaolin is found in commercial quantity. Umunneochi LG houses a lot of the minerals mentioned above, and would benefit from industries that would use them as raw materials.
- Besides the above, lignite, phosphate and limestone are available in commercial quantities in Ikwuano, Bende and Arochukwu according to scientific studies carried out by experts. Lignite also called brown coal is used to fire steam electric power generation plants. It is reported to be environmentally friendly. It is also used to produce fertilizer as well as oil well drilling mud. It has the lowest carbon concentration and is the cheapest source of generating electricity, unlike other type of coal and natural gas.
- Phosphate on the other hand is a major component of fertilizer. The term NPK stands for nitrogen, phosphorus, made from phosphate rocks, and potassium (K). Phosphate is reported to be found in commercial quantities in Bende, and this could be mined to feed a fertilizer company to be established there.
- Limestone presence in the Arochukwu belt is well documented from studies carried out in the past. A cement factory would do well in this axis and we shall ensure that this is set up either by the private sector or PPP.
TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL ECONOMY
Our aim is to transform Abia state into the technology and digital centre of Africa. We will make this happen by investing in the enabling infrastructure, and providing the ambience for digital skill development geared towards job provision, enterprise and social development. We will give empowerment a new meaning by retooling youths with in demand skills that will make them productive beyond immidiate consumption, to earn sustainable and impactful livelihood. The new economy will focus on innovative wealth creative ideas, and tech driven entrepreneurship.
We will therfore-
- Establish a technology institute with world class equipment, resources and ambience with the capacity to train about 10,000 youths annually. These youths will acquire soft skills that will enable them earn income even from other countries while living in Nigeria. Already in discussions with tech giants of Abia extraction, most of whom are in different parts of the world. They support the institute with funds and resources, to make it a success.
- Establish special department in the government to ensure that youths who are trained under this scheme receive adequate support and mentoring, to enable them start-up on their own or gain rewarding placements in industries and parastatal where they can add value.
- Establish funding through venture capital programs that will provide initial capital for digital based start-ups. This can be in the form of grants or partnership.
- Build robust partnership with ISPs and Telcos for expansion of 4G+ broadband infrastructure, to support start-ups and ICT-driven enterprise ecosystem across the state.
- Establish strategic programmes with international academies to equip youths with core skills in ICT engineering and emerging technologies, to prepare them for the opportunities of the future.
ENTERTAINMENT, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY
Recall that what we have today as Nollywood started in Aba. We lost the glory to Lagos and to a little extent, Asaba, because of our carelessness. We will strive to position Abia as a safe destination of choice for quality entertainment, leisure and tourism.
We will build a world class entertainment village as location for movie makers next to the state of the art, Nsulu Games Village in Isiala Ngwa North. This site will be fitted with all the bells and whistles that can be found in any modern-day movie making location. These will include modern hotel facilities, schools, shopping malls, hospitals and worship centres. Of course, Geometric will provide 24 hours of uninterrupted power supply.
The entertainment village will also provide the space to be used by creative artists to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Abia state to the world. It will in addition, act as a holiday resort for tourists who would want to watch movies in the several theatres that the village will host.
Furthermore:
- We will identify, reactivate and refurbish key heritage and memorial sites, to make them attractive for visitors as leisure and entertainment destinations.
- Organize annual home coming cultural festivals to showcase Abia rich heritage to the world. This will be done in partnership with reputable international and national tour agencies.
- Hotels, conference centres, public parks are all part of the general ecosystem that indicates a community’s readiness for business. The less than standard hotels springing up in different nooks and crannies of the state are far from our idea of hotels. To this end, our administration shall.
- Partner with members of the organized private sector, entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry and property owners, to build standard hotel facilities in major cities in the state to create a system that will support the economic boom we aspire to create. The key success factor here is location. We must make our location attractive.
- Again, conferences, general meetings and trainings respond to conducive environments. After creating the environment we shall collaborate with private investors to build first class conference centres in Aba and Umuahia to accommodate varieties of events and programmes.
To be continued next week on Freepressnews.com.ng
Dr. Alex Otti, (OFR) is the governorship candidate of the Labour Party for Abia State of Nigeria in the on-coming general elections in 2023.