You recently emerged the governorship candidate of your party, the United Progressive Party (UPP), for the state – what new thing are you offering?
I have carefully and meticulously studied our state and I have toured all the 27 LGAs of the state and I have discovered their peculiar problems one after the other and I am armed with efficacious and result-oriented solutions to tackle their problems. I have a 4-cardinal programme which I will apply to remedy these problems and which will positively touch the lives of the people. These are effective and sustainable qualitative education, health care delivery services, industrialization and pragmatic waste management for all the LGAs in the state. There will be fruitful and functional libraries, skill acquisition centres to train and to nurture the teeming unemployed graduates in various vocations for them to become self employed and creators of jobs for others so as to drastically reduce their dependence on white kola jobs. In the health sector, my government will ensure the provision of affordable healthcare delivery services for our people as I said earlier while decent, good and conducive environment would be installed to contain the spread of some infectious diseases among the people. I will equally build sate light towns with modern facilities and by this, a reasonable percentage of our people will be spared from deadly diseases.
With me as a governor, our economy will be that of a twenty four (24) hour economy, youth empowerment will take the centre stage and I will build a secretariat for the youths which will be the first of its kind in the history of our state. A twenty four (24) hour economy will have chains of multiplier effects on our economy and on the live styles of our people. In the first place, there will be full industrialization because electricity supply will be there uninterruptedly for twenty four (24) hours and this will encourage our people to work as much as they can. For now, some of our people usually close business for the day and go to sleep as early as 8pm while those who do not live in the Owerri capital city leave by 6pm because of lack of power supply . One of the major consequences of this is that armed robbers capitalize on this sad situation to carry out their nefarious activities but with a 24 hour economy on the ground, there will be no room for this. The mission on industrialization will centre on a 24 hours economy driven by the private sector. This will keep our people and environment busy. Our state cannot afford to leave the streets and environment empty just a little after six to create an open field of operation for criminals till the next day. 24 hours economy will keep the street lively and the economy will boom. Small nations like Malaysia did it and we do not need giant industries for a 24 hour economy to thrive. All we need is constant and uninterrupted power supply, infrastructure and enabling environment.
But why do you think that our leaders who have travelled abroad and have seen these things over there still fail to replicate them at home?
This is because the commitment, determination and sincerity to serve are not there hence they have nothing to offer. I always travel to Canada and I have seen what s happening there. This ugly culture of doing things the same way as it has been from the beginning without any dexterity and pragmatism to introduce innovation is killing our people. Again, the unpatriotic attitude of demanding and receiving 10% for jobs done in government is not helping maters. There should be an effective, vibrant and resourceful organized private sector which should partner with the government to move the state forward. But for this to materialize, you as a governor must create a conducive atmosphere and as one coming from the private sector I am in a good position to achieve this. Those in government have the notorious habit of awarding contract to people who cannot deliver either for political patronage or out of sheer sentiment /primordial interest and cleavages, but with me as governor, this will stop. We cannot afford to continue to sacrifice merit on the altar of mediocrity. Enough is enough.
How do we tackle the problem of security?
Insecurity is a by-product of lack of employment because as the adage goes “an idle brain is the devil’s workshop”. When the youths have nothing to do and which as a matter of fact should keep them meaningfully busy, they resort to all manners of crime. But with a twenty four (24) hour economy in place, this problem of security will be over. The twenty four (24) hour economy which my government will install will provide jobs for the youths because there will be electricity supply all day round to strengthen industrialization and operation of all institutions, both public and private where the youths will be kept busy. Any government that is committed to touching the lives of the people must be able to evolve and contrive policies and programmes to uplift the living standards of the people.
How do you see the UPP when compared with the other political parties in respect of the forthcoming elections and beyond?
The UPP is unquestionably the real party for the progressives. It is not a regional party. We are united and we do not have divisions, factions or bigotry unlike other political parties. We have men who sincerely believe in the tenets of our party.
Agreed that we are relatively new, we are a party standing on our own with genuine progressives and the party is populated by individuals drawn across the 27 LGAs of the state the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. Any leader who has no track record of having reduced poverty among the people has no business to be in government and is not worthy to lead the people. I am an employer of labour and I have given jobs to many and my foundation-the Osmond Imo Ukanacho foundation” has offered scholarship to a number of bright but indigent students, built houses for indigent widows, orphans and assisted churches in various ways. Although, I am of the Anglican Church, I do not discriminate against any church. So far, I have provided several churches with brand new hummer buses to ease their transportation difficulties. Additionally, I have made crutches and wheel chairs available to the physically challenged while rural women and youths have benefitted by way of cash from my foundation with which they established their own businesses.
Are you comfortable with the way Nigeria as a nation is going?
I am not because we are not practising true federation, otherwise such disturbing issues as Boko Haram will not be here. A good number of our leaders do not have anything to offer because of excessive dependence on allocations from the federation accounts. Our problem is not that of religion but nepotism, wanton discrimination, segregation and tribalism and the earlier we begin to tackle this, the better for us. I am optimistic that in the 2015 elections, votes will count and I want to advise our people not to allow any politician or security agents to intimidate them.
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