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By Chukwudi Nweje
Enyinnaya Chima Nwafor is the 2023 governorship candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) in Abia State. He was recently in Lagos where he had an interactive session with a group of selected journalists, and also gave an insight into why he is in the race, his mission and vision for the God’s own State.
You are aspiring to become governor of Abia State in 2023, what is your experience, and what is the structure of the YPP in the state; do you think you can dislodge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that has ruled Abia State since 1999?
If you are talking about political experience, I come from a very politically conscious family. My late father was the first deputy governor of old Abia State having served as the Deputy to Dr Ogbonnaya Onu in 1992 under the umbrella of the National Republican Convention. So, I see myself as someone with adequate political background.
What we are experiencing in Abia today transcends someone with a political background; it requires someone with the political will, passion, and competence to attract and drive development in Abia State. I have over 1,500 people in my employment, and I have taken difficult and hard decisions. I don’t think that having political experience should be a criterion to be governor because politics is played everywhere, even in the home. What we need in Abia State is having investment sense, and a passion to drive development. I have a team of experienced professionals that will drive the development of the state. I will also use my corporate exposure and we will work together.
Talking about displacing the PDP that has led the state since 1999, that will not be a problem. The youths are at the forefront of everything going on now in Abia State and they want a change. My party, the YPP is a platform for the youths who have a passion to drive change in Abia State, and they know what I stand for. The youths know that if I’m elected, I will drive development and realise the Abia State of their dream; the demand for a change is high.
The PDP has ruled Abia for the past 23 years; are you sure the people want to change the party they have become so familiar with?
If you ask any Abian today, when they sleep, they yearn for change; when they eat, they yearn for change, and not just change but positive change with a young competent man that will be in charge of affairs and that person is I.
What prompted that yearning for change…
Abia is a state blessed with mineral resources that will drive development. The people want a change that will lead to industralisation and have something for the youths to be resourceful, they want a change that will attract industries, development, create wealth, and enable people to contribute their quota, that is the change we are talking about.
Are you then saying that the PDP failed Abia State?
The PDP has done their best but their best is not good enough for what the 21st century youths of Abia want.
There is the Abia Charter of Equity, what part of the state do you come from?
When you talk of Abia Charter of equity, the average Abia State indigene is more interested in a governor that will drive high level development and give them the Abia of their dream; they don’t really care where he comes from, and in the YPP, we don’t have any zoning; we are interested in competence and development. I can’t speak for other political parties.
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What are your plans for Abia, particularly Aba, the commercial city?
Aba is the commercial hub of Abia State, and a lot can be done about Aba. In 2016, we did a housing survey in Aba and we got over 560,000 houses. With such level of development, we shall be able to enhance our internally generated revenue (IGR) to make Aba the Japan of Africa; the things that attract growth and development include good roads, good waste disposal and security. The youths within the locality will be trained in different skills so that they can add their quota and become resourceful. There is a lot we can do with Aba. We will create what I call an export promotion board. For instance, in Ariara international market, there is a place they call Bakassi market. In that market, they produce a lot of leather wears -bags shoes, belts among others. The quality of products from that market is very good, what they need is government’s support. What we will do is to create a good process to help them export their products.
A country like Vietnam has an export of over $20million (USD) through and the distance of Vietnam to the United States of America is over 17,300 nautical miles. From Onne Port, the closest wharf to Aba is 6,300 nautical miles, so what we need to do to drive development in Aba is to ensure that the road linking Aba to Port Harcourt is in good condition. It doesn’t matter if it is a federal or state road.
I will not limit myself to Aba; Aba is the commercial city, so most times when we talk of Abia State, people think of Aba. If we begin to export the products coming out of Bakassi Market, that will create revenue for Abia State. Exporting from Vietnam to the United States takes 72 days while that of Onne takes 28 days and I can tell you that no smart businessman will want to take that long period to get his goods. So, if the government supports these businesses and does a good Selection Process, they will be encouraged to improve the quality of their goods, and it will boost commerce in Abia State.
You look so gentle, are you sure you can stand the rough nature of Nigerian politics?
Governance is not about fighting people; we are not going to war; governance is about mental capacity; it is about having the right policies, having the political will and knowing what to do, I don’t believe in blueprints, I believe in programme of work and setting my goals.
What is your advice to the people of Abia State as they go to the poll?
My advice to Abians is to make the necessary sacrifice; everybody must play a part in the kind of change we are demanding; they can’t sit at home and expect the change, everybody must get involved. We thank God for the new electoral act that has given us some level of confidence in the electoral processes; people should take advantage of that and elect a governor that will restore the glory of Abia State.
What are your plans for the South East in general since Abia State cannot exist in isolation?
Synergy, we must work together. Political party affiliation should not be a barrier. The governors of the South East must have a sense of direction, which is regional investments and development that will be to the benefit of all the South East states.
I told my team of consultants who were looking at roads across the three senatorial zones. In Abia, we demarcated the roads into what we call economically viable roads and these roads linking Abia State to other South-East states, this will encourage commerce and other economic activities; we cannot achieve this without synergy and collaboration.
What should the people of Abia expect from you in say 100 days if you become governor?
I don’t believe in 100 days because it shows you are in a hurry to please the people. My mission is to serve the people and bring development. I will prefer to be asked what I will write on my handover note at the end of four years or if the people re-elect at the end of eight years. In my handover note, I will write that I am a man who was able to transform Abia State and deliver to the people a transformed Abia of their dream, by creating wealth.
