‘Why I’m in race for Enugu House of Assembly’

Ken Ikeh from Uwani Am­abokwu Aku in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, is a lawyer and journalist by training. He has had rewarding experience, spanning over a decade in the practice of law with records of responsiveness to community service.

Right now, he is not only a politi­cian, he is also the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) House of Assembly candidate for Igbo-Etiti West Constituency of ttate. He recently unfolded his agenda to Enugu people his plans for his constituency if elected in the 2015 election to the State House of As­sembly.

Excerpts:
What is the situation in your constituency that calls for change?
The realities on the ground today in the infrastructural and political development of our people have shown that our elders have lost the luster that can secure and protect the collective future of our people.

This is the time to rise up against oppression of the masses; to rise up against infrastructural decay and dilapidation, to rise up against mediocrity, to rise up against the primordial sentiments that have hindered our growth as a people. And above all, this is the time to rise up against entrenched interests and poverty. In truth, our people deserve more than they currently get from PDP led government in Enugu. That is the reason I believe that APGA will bring the desired change that would alleviate the suffering of my people.

What are the problems currently facing Igbo-Etiti people in your constituency?
Our people in Igbo-Etiti West are the human resource base of Enugu State, yet they have no sound educational facilities and unemployment rate is very high.

People of Igbo-Etiti West are known for their innate industry yet they suffer from hunger. And even when they are rated high as widely traveled people, they still live in undeserving environments ravaged by erosion, bad roads and lack of electricity in some places. Also, health care centers, dispensaries and public health management centers in Igbo-Etiti do not have access to quality health workers and no drugs to dispense to the people.

In area of youth empowerment, our youths are stranded like sheep without shepherd, engaging in drug abuse and delinquent activities. Yet we have great men in politics and industries. There is urgent need for a change. If I am voted for in the forthcoming election, I will bring the desired change in order to improve the living standard of our people, and ends the present political and social scenario that has inflicted much pain on our people.

How would you guarantee dividends of democracy for your people?
I have strategic master plan in place to address and revive the entire infrastructure in my constituency through a government process that would be favorable to all. And if given the mandate, my constituency will record unprecedented rebirth in areas like roads, education, Agriculture and commerce, social justice delivery system, electricity and provision of rural portable water.
In the area of road construction, I will sponsor bills that will result in the complition of Ogbode-Aku-Nkpologu Road, Aku-Udueme Crescent Road, 9^th Mile-Egede –Nzue-Aku Road, Aku-Leja –Nsukka road, Aku-Obimo-Nsukka Road, and Ohebe Dim-Aku Road via Amogu. I believe that rehabilitation of these roads will open up the rural areas and connect our people and communities to the urban centers.

I strongly believe that education is the bedrock of any meaningful development and that is why I shall focus on the type of schools and teachers that will equip our children to face the challenges of their generation. Such schools shall be equipped with enhanced learning conditions, up to date learning facilities, groomed and motivated teachers.

With your support, we shall consider the upgrading of one of our schools to a tertiary institution or develop a plan to bring back Adada Campus of ESUT to fight massive unemployment among our people and more importantly, improve access to tertiary education. We will evolve schools offering technical and vocational skills.

In the area of Agriculture and Commerce, I will pursue vigorously in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and National Food Reserve Center to establish National Food Storage/Processing Center in Igbo-Etiti constituency. This will boost the activities of our farmers and traders. I will liaise with the Federal Government to facilitate immediate completion of Adada Dam for the benefit of our farmers. I will put in place a dependable structure that can ensure easy access to soft loans and affordable capital for our market women and encourage young entrepreneurs in agro allied industries.

In order to promote Social Justice and Delivery System, I will encourage through robust consultation with our people, the need to upgrade the existing mechanisms for resolution of disputes and access to justice by initiating A Small Claims Court requiring no elegant legal processes and professional representation but effective and efficient in dispute resolution in our Communities.

Knowing fully well that epileptic power supply have killed rural industries, I intend to boost electricity supply by pursuing grid extension to communities and sponsoring State budgetary allocation to Community Development Associations to manage Solar Street Light and related infrastructure in our constituency.

We shall also look into the provision of rural water supply by harmonising and all water infrastructure in our constituency for sustainable management and operation by Community Development Associations

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