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Vincent Kalu
Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA) governorship aspirant in Imo State, Brady Nwosu, has said that the state can never move forward until an Okigwe person completes its eight year rule.
He also speaks on what he intends to do differently if he is elected governor next year.
You are from Okigwe zone; does the rotational arrangement in the state favour you?
It favours the Okigwe Zone. Ikedi Ohakim became a governor in 2007, but unfortunately, the Owerri and the Orlu zones conspired and removed him, so the Okigwe’s turn that was supposed to stretch for eight years was terminated after the first term. Since then, it has not been well with Imo, the state has been behind the prison wall. To remedy it, an Okigwe person must become a governor in 2019, even; it’s for one term that is equity; that is fairness.
Was it not because of poor performance that Ohakim was removed?
No. Since he left, Imo has not changed; nothing has changed in the state. There was a conspiracy. After Udenwa has done eight years, they conspired to make sure that Okigwe didn’t complete her eight years. Therefore, Okigwe son must become a governor, and that is fairness, and true to the spirit of zoning arrangement.
Anybody saying that there is nothing like zoning in Imo State is lying, making the truth to walk on its head. Why must Owerri be talking about their turn to produce the governor if there was nothing like zoning? Imo can never move forward until an Okigwe person comes and complete the term. That is what I have come to do, to reconstruct the state and give it a direction to greatness. The leadership has made a caricature of governance in the state.
What are you going to do differently in Imo?
I’m going to take Imo out of the prison walls, and create a new generation of people with a new destiny, who would boldly walk to occupy their rightful positions. Everything we shall be doing in the state must necessarily reflect this. Those who came to rescue the state are now in need of rescue; they have taken Imo down the abyss. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have bothered to come out if things were properly done in the state; if the Imo people have experienced good governance. Today, our state has become a laughing stock because the leadership has been producing manual for indecent governance. I’m coming to breathe fresh air in the state and reposition her on the path of greatness, and make the citizens regain their pride of place as Imo people.
The work ahead is enormous and from the first day, we are going to hit the ground running to reconstruct the state. I can’t avail you all that I have planned for the state, to avoid a situation where some of those angling to be governor, who have not taken time to articulate how to make a difference as a governor, copy and begin to parrot my programme. My programme is going to be anchored on six- point agenda: Education, health, agriculture, youth empowerment, security and grassroots development.
Education is the biggest industry in Imo, and the state has been the leading light in education in Nigeria, and West Africa. According to JAMB, the state has maintained consistently the highest number of candidate enrolment for several years, and also, in the West African School Certificate, for several years, it has come first, second or the third.This feat is not because of any government’s interest in education, as successive governments have paid lip service to the education sector, it is purely because of the drive by families to make sure that their children are well educated.
Aa governor, I’m going to make sure that the burdens of these families to educate their children are lifted. Workers and pensioners shall be receiving bank alert for their salaries on the 28 of every month.
On grassroots development, half yearly, each political ward will bring out a strategic road to be tarred, so that in a year, two strategic roads will be tarred in every ward and in four years, eight of such roads must have been done. This will lead to linking every part of the state; so that from one community to the other it will be a question of few minutes. Then, add this to the roads and streets that the local governments shall be doing, no village that will not have quality tarred road.
Our roads will be built with the latest cement technology in road construction. By the time we begin to execute this six-point agenda, Imo will be the template for other states to copy.
I have seen the comprehensive plans for your state, how are you going to fund them?
Previous governments have been so lazy and they have not looked inwards on tapping the resources in the state towards generating revenue. They would be counting days waiting for the month to end, then they would rush to Abuja for monthly stipend, which is one of the tragedies of our federation. I have commissioned experts and from their reports, our state can conveniently generate N5 billion monthly, as internally generated revenue, and when you plug the leakages you save over one billion naira every month, and when you add this to the so-called statutory allocation, then you have enough to implement your programmes. There is no rocket science.
I want to take Imo to the comity of states that can sustain itself without looking towards the centre for the monthly pittance. Mind you, Private Public Partnership (PPP) shall be employed to drive some of the projects.
Some argue that Okorocha didn’t do well, and are calling on his successor to probe him. What are you going to do in this direction?
I don’t believe in probing because it is an albatross. Historically, in Nigeria, no government has ever probed its predecessor and succeeded. Look at the selective corruption fight going on in Nigeria. They are yet convict people; it has been media trial. This is one of the reasons that Buhari has failed, and Nigerians are just waiting to get rid of him.
Fake corruption fight as we have today is probing; selective corruption fight is also probing, and I don’t believe in probing. We can’t waste valuable time probing, which is a distraction. However, if it is established that any of the state’s property was illegally acquired, we shall not hesitate to recover such by following the due process of law.
You were one of the founding members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, why did you resign from the party you helped to nurture?
The PDP has lost it glory, and there was no basis for me to continue to be a member. My interest in it was deeply peeled off. Like the bible says, if a salt lost its saltiness, it’s of no use again. The party failed Nigerians for the 16 years it was in power, and so, doesn’t hold any more hope for the people.
