An Abia State-born United Kingdom-based industrialist, Chief Charles Lawrence Nwangwa, has declared his intentions to contest for the Labour Party ticket in the forthcoming local government election in Abia State.
Nwangwa, who declared his intentions in his Umuomei community in Obingwa Local Government Area of the state on Monday, said he would prioritize agriculture, education and rural infrastructure development if elected.
He disclosed that he joined the local council chairmanship race because of his desire to improve the lives of those living in rural areas of his local government.
The industrialists posited that there is a need to hand over the administration of the local government in Nigeria to experienced and accomplished men, who are no longer driven by the quest to acquire wealth for themselves.
Nwangwa also promised to be prudent in the management of the council’s resources and ensure that the common man has access to justice if elected.
He said, “The local government area is the only strata of government that affects the lives of the commoners first. You will remember that former President Shehu Shagari said he wanted to be the chairman of his local government before becoming President of Nigeria because he wanted to serve his people first.
“I want to contest for the ticket of my party because I know the people in every community in Obingwa Local Government Area and by the grace of God, I’m accomplished. The local government administration is not what you give to someone as a starter. What you give to someone so that he can build a house and own a car. It is what you give to a man who is no longer ambitious to acquire wealth, but desirous to develop the rural community.
“I will be focused on the people and to translate the vision of Governor Alex Otti, one must put infrastructure and development of people first. If we don’t get the local government working, all that the governor is doing will not be felt by people in the rural area.
“I will harness our local mineral resources and get the best from every community in my local government. We are unique in the sense that we share boundaries with five local governments in Akwa Ibom State.
I will open up the access road to encourage inter-trade with them to commence between the two states.
“We are an agriculture-based local government, but our local farmers don’t have access to land again. Most of our lands have been acquired by wealthy people who are either farming or building on them.
But we have original lands acquired by the defunct Eastern region government which has been shared by the people in government over the years, we are going to make the lands accessible by asking them to make the lands available and we will allocate them to peasant farmers to cultivate, pending when the owners will want to develop them.
In my compound, I have over 40 plots of land that I have given to farmers to plant improved cassava spice, I will distribute the stems to local farmers to improve food security in our local government and once we do that we have solved 95 per cent of the problems of hunger.
“I will also make sure that the children of the poor have access to education to empower them to improve their families.”
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