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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Abia State, Dr. Kelechi Anosike, has pledged to prioritise massive investment in agriculture and introduce targeted social welfare programmes to boost food production, reduce the cost of essential commodities and improve the living standards of residents if elected governor in 2027.
Anosike said his administration would pursue people-oriented economic policies designed to address the daily challenges confronting ordinary citizens, particularly the rising cost of food, declining purchasing power and growing dependence on agricultural produce from neighbouring states.
The governorship candidate, who spoke in Umuahia while receiving a delegation of old students of his alma mater, Comprehensive Secondary School, Okoko Item, in Bende Local Government Area, said the state’s enormous agricultural potential remained largely untapped despite the availability of vast arable land.
He described Abia as one of the most expensive states to live in Nigeria, blaming the situation partly on what he called the failure of the present administration to invest adequately in agriculture and provide the necessary incentives for farmers to increase local food production.
According to him, any meaningful effort to alleviate the economic hardship facing residents must include deliberate investments in agriculture, greater support for farmers and welfare initiatives that directly address the needs of vulnerable households.
“Abia remains one of the most expensive states to live in because the government has done little or nothing in agriculture. On a daily basis, heavy trailers bring goods from other states to Abia even though we have fertile land,” he said.
Anosike expressed concern that a state endowed with fertile agricultural land continued to depend heavily on food supplies from neighbouring states, arguing that the situation had contributed to the rising cost of living and placed additional financial pressure on households.
He maintained that his administration would give agriculture the attention it deserved, encouraging increased food production while implementing welfare programmes to ensure that the benefits of government policies were felt by ordinary citizens.
The PDP candidate also criticised what he described as the failure of state governments to translate increased federal allocations into meaningful improvements in the welfare of their citizens following the removal of fuel subsidy.
He claimed that Abia, which previously received between N3 billion and N4 billion in monthly federal allocations, now received as much as N40 billion, insisting that such increased revenue should provide greater opportunities for investments in agriculture, infrastructure and social intervention programmes.
Anosike argued that although Nigerians continued to direct their anger over the prevailing economic hardship at the Federal Government, state governments equally had a responsibility to develop policies and programmes capable of cushioning the effects of rising living costs.
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He said increased revenue accruing to states should translate into improved public services, greater economic opportunities and practical measures to ease the burden on residents rather than leaving them to grapple with the consequences of economic difficulties without adequate support.
The governorship candidate assured the visiting old students that he would consider their request for the rehabilitation of their alma mater, which they said had suffered years of infrastructural neglect.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Harold Onyeukwu, said the old students had come to identify with Anosike as one of their own and demonstrate solidarity with his governorship ambition.
Onyeukwu said the values of discipline, hard work and service inculcated in them during their school years had continued to shape their lives and achievements, expressing satisfaction that one of their former schoolmates had emerged as a major political figure in the state.
He appealed to Anosike to prioritise the rehabilitation of Comprehensive Secondary School, Okoko Item, if elected governor, specifically requesting the renovation of existing structures, fencing of the school premises and construction of modern library and laboratory blocks.
He also urged the PDP candidate to remain faithful to the values and principles imparted to them during their formative years.
In his remarks, the Abia State PDP Chairman and deputy governorship candidate, Abraham Amah, commended the delegation for identifying with their former schoolmate, expressing confidence in the party’s prospects in the forthcoming governorship election.
Amah described Anosike’s emergence as the party’s candidate as a turning point in the fortunes of the PDP in Abia State, claiming that his entry into the race had revived the party and strengthened its political structures.
“God prepares a man before its manifestation. What we are seeing is the manifestation of God. PDP was almost gone in the state, but his emergence revived the party,” he said.
Chairman of the Abia PDP Governorship Campaign Council, Ambassador Empire Kanu, said Anosike’s development blueprint for the state reflected the agricultural and industrial development philosophy of the late Premier of Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Michael Okpara.
Kanu expressed confidence that the implementation of the blueprint would help unlock Abia’s agricultural and economic potential, stimulate development and improve the welfare of residents.
