The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in Abia State, Alex Otti, has restated his desire to ensure massive job creation for thousands of Abia youths when he assumes office as Abia governor come May, 29, 2019.
Dr. Otti made the promise during a Gubernatorial debate organised by Caritas Nigeria of the Mater Dei Catholic Church, Umuahia, on Monday.
Otti disclosed that Abia has the highest concentration of skilled and unskilled labour, insisting that his government would provide them with the necessary opportunity by training and equipping them for self sustenance, while they would turn back to impact on the economy.
He expressed displeasure that in spite of the enormous economic potentials in Abia, poverty rate in the state as at today stands at 28.3% while Anambra state is just 13%.
The financial expert who quoted statistics and necessary economic indices to buttress his points, insisted that the frightening crime rate in Abia, which is skyrocketing on a daily basis is a creation of unemployment and general economic hardship, and warned that if it’s not arrested would spell doom for the state.
On education, Dr. Otti regretted the decline in the quality of education in Abia state, and explained that the society is as good as the quality of people it produces, and made it clear that his government would within 90 days on assumption of office ensure that schools are returned to the missionaries while his government would provide them with subventions and other incentives to ensure effective running of the schools.
Otti also explained that “my government will invest in the training and retraining of teachers for quality output, review the present academic curriculum, support research that would enable for vocational and skills acquisition education.”
On health, the APGA chieftain revealed that Nigeria currently spends $1bn on medical tourism, and promised to ensure that a bulk of such heavy expenditure is attracted to Abia through the construction of state of the art medical facilities, starting with three standard general hospitals in the three senatorial zones.
He, however, re-echoed his stance that because investors do not invest in places where there are no infrastructures, the APGA government would show the way and attract massive investment by first of all investing in critical infrastructures that would turn around the state and jump-start serious economic resurgence.
