Featured, Politics
By Benprince Ezeh
ROBERTS U. Orya, honorary president of the Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions, G-NEXID, is a man of few words with great vision and mission. His visionary outlook is making him to take the onerous decision to wade into the shark infested waters of politics in Benue State as an aspirant to succeed Governor Samuel Ortom in 2023.
He may have started well by opting to contest on the platform of the ruling party in the state – the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which is dominant in Benue. Although not far from politicians and have done national and state assignments, he is still new to partisan politics and does not have any political baggage that could weigh him down like some of those he will be contesting with.
There are more than 50 aspirants already in the race for the plum first political job in Benue. But Orya, who worked miracle in reviving the hitherto ailing Nigerian Export-Import Bank, NEXIM, has the confidence he can do same with the sleepy Benue State whose agricultural and tourism potential are yet to be fully tapped.
Suffice it to say that Benue will need a governor like him to transform and improve the economic wellbeing of the people, already ravaged by the vagaries of life occasioned by the persistent killer herdsmen attacks which have left a litter of Internally Displaced Camps, IDPs, in parts of Benue State.
He is well horned to take up the baton from where Ortom will leave it. For starters, Orya, who is a member of the Investment and Economic Advisory Council to the executive governor of Nasarawa State, has encapsulated and articulated his vision in his transformation blueprint entitled: “The Benue Expansive Transformation Strategy, BETS”.
In the document of vision, Orya has clearly identified critical areas of focus in the short, medium to long terms to drive the transformation agenda.
The document noted that “Benue State is largely an agricultural economy with most of the population deriving their own income from farming. This has earned the State the acclaim of being the “Food Basket of the Nation”. However, agriculture is still practiced at a subsistence level and vulnerable to weather shocks, resulting in low yields and productivity. As a result, poverty rate remains high in the State. Food security is threatened, and with it, the status of Benue State as the “Food Basket of the Nation”. If elected as Governor of Benue State in 2023, my administration shall initiate a sound Agricultural policy which will inspire success in modernizing agriculture and transforming its rural economy as a panacea for rapid growth and a substantial improvement in prosperity.”
The governorship aspirant said: “If elected as Governor of Benue State in 2023, I will pay special attention to commerce, industrialization and investment by unlocking the constraints to growth and eliminating the bureaucratic bottlenecks that impede the Ease of Doing Business in the State. I will also radically reform the State Investment Policy with business-friendly policies and create a very competitive and conducive environment for businesses to thrive. This would lead to massive attraction of private and third sectors capital flows into the State. These actions will stimulate and boost economic activities thereby promoting prosperity of Benue State. Consequently, developmental impacts of job and wealth creation, enhancement in the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR of the State will culminate in improvement in the quality of life of the Benue people among others. This is one of my strategies of diversifying the sources of funding to the State.”
According to him, quick wins in nine months will be the revival of the government owned moribund enterprises. “One of my top priorities, if elected as Governor of Benue State in 2023, will be to quickly embark on the revival of some of the very strategic Government owned moribund enterprises which include the Taraku Oil mills, Benue Burnt Bricks Otukpo, Agricultural Development Corporation, ADC, Makurdi and Ber Agbum Farms in Ushongo amongst others. I will revive these enterprises in 9 months through the Public, Private Partnership, PPP, model as the most feasible financing option. I had used the PPP model before to effectively renovate and upgrade the hitherto terribly dilapidated State owned Benue Hotels to an internationally branded 4-star hotel. I will replicate the same experience in reviving these Government owned moribund enterprises.”
He said he will promote massive cross-border trade with the Republic of Cameroon. “Trade is a powerful engine for economic growth and development. World Trade Organization, WTO, 2007. Globally, it is recognized that “Trade creates jobs”. Recognizing its importance, I will immediately open and develop the Trade Corridor between Benue State and the Republic of Cameroon, which will lead to the creation of huge market access, provide business and investment opportunities for our Small and Medium scale Enterprises, SMEs, small holder farmers and other entrepreneurs by promoting massive cross border trade.
“We will leverage the recent implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, agreement, which has provided a single common market for goods and services with significant elimination or reduction in tariff and non-tariff barriers. This initiative will lead to deep reduction in poverty rate, create wealth and jobs for our teeming youths and women, transform our border communities and ensure social harmony in Benue State.”
Noting that Benue state is one of the most endowed states in Nigeria with tourism potentials, the former managing director of NEXIM, said “The State is blessed with scenic views and tourist sites with highly talented youths in the entertainment and creative industries, this can be leveraged to create wealth and jobs for Benue people. The bank of River Benue, Ikyogen Cattle Ranch and other tourism sites would be transformed. Tourism infrastructure will provide a business-friendly environment that would attract investors to ensuring that our natural scenic sites become major tourist attractions in Nigeria by driving local and international interests to these tourist sites.”
He added that his “plan is to ultimately place Benue State on the World Tourism Calendar.”
“Considering the current heavy reliance of Benue State on the Federal allocations, Orya said: “It is important to reiterate the fact that, the BETS document has been deliberately structured to focus on the private sector, to be the engine of growth for the Benue economy and to sustainably create wealth and jobs for the Benue people.”
Noting that all States in Nigeria have infrastructural deficits in varying degrees, he said: “In Benue State as an Agricultural State, my priority will be on opening and massive construction of rural-feeder roads with a view to reducing the high logistic costs of moving our farm produce from the farm gates to the markets.
“This will also create market access, connect the markets in the rural communities with the urban towns, generate both farm and non-farm employment and minimize rural-urban migration.”
He is also thinking of providing alternative sources of power as well as according provision of portable drinking water priority in the implementation of the BETS blueprint.
“My Government will invest massively in Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship to adequately equip our youths in acquiring the relevant and valuable technical skills that will make them competitive both nationally and internationally,” he said.
Part of his agenda include reforming the healthcare and education institutions in the State to conform to international best practices, thus ensuring that our institutions become reference points for learning and research across Nigeria and indeed the entire African region.
Affordable housing is also part of Orya’s plan for both the public servants and residents in the State.
“All these will be driven by an active pull of foreign and local direct investments into Benue State using my diverse experience and extensive global network as a replication of the huge commercial and concessionary lines of credits that I attracted for NEXIM as the managing director/chief executive officer,” he said.
Women and youth are also to be given special preference in Orya’s administration, where they will constitute over 60 percent of key appointments.
“I will give priority attention to trainings and retraining of the public servants to ensuring that they are well-capacitated and adequately motivated to perform optimally and also design a special package to cater for our old citizens and people with disabilities,” NEXIM former managing director said.
Orya, however, said that “BETS” blueprint cannot be achieved in the face of insecurity. “I have articulated an all-inclusive security strategy in the BETS document that will involve key stakeholders like yourself and your constituency in ensuring that we have a secure Benue State – a State in which our cities, towns, communities and villages are secure and farmers can go back to their farmlands peacefully, ensuring we maintain our rightful place as the “Food Basket of the Nation’ – self-sufficient and prosperous, and that Benue is a safe haven to attract private investments.
“Our dream is to build a State where our vibrant youths are made to see and harness our abundant potentials; and are gainfully employed and fully engaged instead of seeking for greener pastures from menial jobs in overcrowded cities outside our State or being lured into crimes that will eventually truncate their bright destinies.”
He enjoined the people of Benue to work with his vision to steer Benue to the path of sustainable development. Sustainable development is that which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs, adding: “It would give me great pleasure for us to work together to secure our dream of a vibrant, productive, resourceful and prosperous Benue State and for the generations to come.”
Orya is counting on the support of his as they embark on this journey together, knowing, according to the words of Helen Keller, that “alone we can do so little, together, we can do so much”. The actualization of this dream can only be made possible with your support and that of your constituency, he said.
He also demonstrated his commitment to the people of Benue State by citing the words of George Bernard Shaw: “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.”
– July 28, 2021 @ 00:48 GMT | C.E
Tags: Benue Expansive Transformation Strategy BETS G-NEXID Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions Nexim Nigerian Export-Import Bank Peoples Democratic Party ROBERTS U. Orya
