… pledge better economy for Edo
… emphasise quality leadership
Dr. Asue Ighodalo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, has ended his US engagement tour with the Edo Diaspora Community in New York with a promise to reshape and build a bigger, better economy for the state.
Speaking on Friday, the last day of his three legged Town Hall Meeting with Edo indigenes resident in New York and its environs, Ighodalo assures that if voted into power, together with his running mate, Osarodion Ogie Esq., would reshape the economy to lift people out of poverty.
He, however, stressed the fact that the Diasporas’ expertise would be needed in Edo State.
Ighodalo, succinctly expounded his plans for Edo as captured in his “The Pathway to Prosperity for All” manifesto, as well as assured that a lot would be done that would turn around the economic status of the people in the State.
Accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ighodalo, his running mate, Barr. Osarodion Ogie and others, Ighodalo declared that
“Edo State is blessed with different mineral resources. We will harness them for the betterment of our dear State. But we need your help in various areas of expertise to move Edo State to a first world economy.”
He reiterated the need for quality leadership and assured the packed hall of over 300 attendees that the PDP gubernatorial team is poised to provide that quality leadership.
“With the right leadership that we will offer, Edo State can pull other neighbouring states by peer pressure to economic revolution in Nigeria.
“We will leverage the gains by the Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration in the agriculture sector to take Edo to another level.
“We will ensure our farmlands are secured with adequate security to enable our farmers to go to their farms, and this will reduce food inflation.
“By its geographical location, Edo State is a natural logistic hub with several entry and exit points. We will source for finance to build industrial parks, and this will increase our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base,” he assured.
On security, Ighodalo categorized it as “very important” as almost every other thing depends on the security of lives and property in the state and Nigeria.
“We will beef up security with modern technology to track criminals and build a synergy between our local security and other relevant security agencies to track down crime.
“We will strengthen laws to checkmate crimes and ensure that criminals are prosecuted in due time. There must be consequences for engaging in criminal activities so that it will be a deterrent to others,” he stated.
Speaking about education, Ighodalo said efforts would be made to take out of school children back to the classroom.
“We will ensure that our out of school children are taken back into classroom learning. Our curriculum will be reviewed periodically and improve our learning facilities to increase the gains of EdoBest,” he maintained.
The Town Hall Meeting which began with a carnival like reception for Ighodalo, featured a question and answer session. Ighodalo and Ogie jointly answered all the questions satisfactory with applause at the end of each answer.
