I’ll improve on Obi’s Record – Ezeemo

An industrialist, farmer, publisher and politician, Chief Godwin Ezeemo, says he will improve on the governance template of the immediate past governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, by not only working simultaneously on all sectors but laying emphasis on power generation, environment and agriculture, reports Jude Atupulazi.

Ezeemo stated this in his country home, Umuchu while assessing the state of affairs in Anambra State following his decision to contest in the gubernatorial election in the state which comes up in 2021.

Ezeemo regretted that the current government had lost the momentum gained during the previous regime of Obi, as well as abandoned its all-round development template.

He said the gains made in various sectors of the state’s economy under Obi had been lost under the current administration, which, he said, seemed to adopt desperate measures to survive.

READ MORE: Enugu Airport Has ‘A Lot Of Problems’ – Hadi Sirika

Giving an example of one of those measures as the system of taxation, he said the way the agents harassed people in Onitsha was capable of triggering capital flight, given that the government was reverting to the old methods of tax collection.

Ezeemo said he was seeking the mandate of Ndi-Anambra again, this time on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, to revolutionize governance in the state by addressing such basic sectors as agriculture, power generation and environment, among others, in practical ways.

Noting that inadequate power generation was affecting many businesses, he said it was time this sector was fully addressed in order to encourage people to come back home and invest, thus boosting employment.

On environment, the industrialist expressed worry at the rising menace of erosion across the state and attributed it to the failure of doing the needful after building houses. He said that erosion was man-made and could only be checked when people stopped destroying the ecosystem by their attitude; even as he assured that he had a programme to put a halt to it.

Under agriculture, he said there was no reason why food should not be enough for all and said his government would not only provide enough farming implements and equipment to farmers but would buy back their produce and store them as a sign of encouragement to farmers.

On the qualities which the next governor of the state should possess, he said such a person should have lived in the state for at least four years in order to understand her problems, even though he noted that not everybody that lived at home understood such problems.

He, however, said such experience was necessary for good performance, noting that as one who ran businesses in the state, he, Ezeemo, was conversant with major issues in the state.

‘The next governor must be selfless and must be able to give everything, as well as having experience and a good track record of management. He must also have a strong character, be consistent and truthful, have the capacity to deliver and must love the Igbo Nation,’ Ezeemo said, adding that such a person must also be prepared to serve, rather than govern.

Letter To My Future Son-In-Law: Marriage To My Daughter Is Lease A Transaction Not A Transfer Of Family Membership

But Ezeemo said one grey area which the state must strive hard to put right was the issue of religious politics, which, he said, would cause serious problems if not curtailed.

He regretted that while condemning Buhari’s style, the state was repeating the same mistake of religious politics, noting that it restricted the state from bringing out her best.

‘I’m afraid it will lead to something more serious in our polity in the future. We are repeating the same thing we are accusing Moslems of doing,’ he said.