Follow Us on Google
From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Edo State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, yesterday, said that he would partner the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State Council on affordable housing scheme for its members in the state.
He said this during his yearly get-together with the practicing Journalists in the state.
Shaibu said civil servants, Journalists inclusive are often being agitated when approaching their retirement age because they have not been able to build a house for themselves which they will retire to, adding that, such anxiety has resulted to high blood pressure among them.
“By the grace of God, as governor of Edo State, next year, I will make sure that what we have been struggling to get and we have not gotten, housing, I will make it available for all of us in the NUJ.
“You remember there was a time some of you came to say, you just need government to give you people land and you will start doing housing projects.
“And for me, you don’t need to ask for it by what you do. And I discovered also that majority of our civil servants and public servants, when retirement is getting close, you see, some of them start having high blood pressure, some of them become muddy, and it is like the world is coming to an end and when you try to find out from some of them, some of them will tell you, when I retire now, how am I going to be paying my rent?
“Number one of their priority is always rent because some of them have not been able to built shelters for themselves and they are going into retirement and they are not sure of what is going to happen next and for me, I think that aspect has to be taken care of.
“So, as NUJ, we will partner to make sure that housing is available and affordable for you.
“We will be calling it NUJ Village. We will allocate this land and we will partner all the necessary institutions to build you houses you can retire to and is your own and you will not be afraid of retirement.
“So, that is part of the scheme for you as NUJ members and that will also be an incentive for all Journalists to go and register as a member of NUJ”, Shaibu said.
Speaking further on his political ambition, he said his desire is to return power to the people so that they can feel the impact of good governance as it is done in other climes.
“We are taking our state back and we are returning government to our people. We are taking it from the elite and back to the down trodden because the truth is that, the government is for all of us because in advance countries, the rich pay more taxes to be able to service the system.
“We want to return back to what it is , the down trodden and the real Edo people must feel government and that is why I am contesting this election.
” I contesting it to return it back to the people and fortunately, I am in the party that believes in the people and I can tell you when I speaking, I am not speaking the words of Philip, I am speaking because God has given me the authority to speak and I am telling you it will come to pass and it is not coming to pass because of me but because of all of us”, Shaibu said.
