Politics
A Governorship Candidate in Abia, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, says he will phase out analogue with the digitisation of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the state, if elected.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Onuoha is running on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He spoke on Monday at a media forum organised by the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abia Council.
He was accompanied at the interactive session by his Running Mate, Mrs Ngozi Nwasinmuo, and state Chairman of ADC, Mr Obioma Onwukaike.
Onuoha blamed the gross underdevelopment of Abia on the failure by the economy operators to disengage from analogue to digitisation.
According to the clergyman, you cannot grow modern economy in an analogue style.
“Modern economy must be digital so that whatever you are producing people can buy it without physically travelling to your shop.
“Unless we open our eyes to get into other ways of doing business, we will be wasting our energy here.
“This is how the micro economy is going to be strengthened through the digitisation of the small scale enterprises,” the governorship hopeful said.
He promised to engage local government chairmen, traditional institution and the Church in governance.
The Methodist Church cleric decried the systemic marginalisation of traditional rulers and clergymen, who are advocates of transparency and accountability, from governance.
He said the onus rested squarely on the media to champion the cause of transparency and also hold public office holders accountable for public funds in their custody.
He said: “The Office of the Governor is a public office, so the governor must account to the people.
“If the politicians also succeed in compromising the media, like they did to the traditional institutions and clergymen, then the country will totally collapse,” he said.
Onuoha, who is the Founder of Umuahia-based Vision Africa Radio, blamed the media for not interrogating politicians enough, saying, “this is one of the problems in society”.
As a former Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Privatisation Matters, he said that he would explore many channels to create employment for the teeming youths.
Onuoha also promisee to leverage his contact and proven integrity to attract huge support from Abia people in diaspora toward the economic transformation of the state.
He said that Diaspora Abia people were desirous to come home and invest but lacked the requisite trust in the people in government.
He expressed concern that successive administrations in the state had not seen the need to revive the Nsulu Games Village to develop sports and tourism potentials of the state.
He promised to reopen the facility the first day he assumes office as governor because of its potential to create over 10,000 jobs for sports, entertainment and tourism.
Onuoha considers himself the most suited for the job, saying that he had not been put on trial by any anti-graft for any corruption charges in all his public life.
He said: “Let’s put searchlight on all of us that are going for governorship of Abia.
“Whoever that comes clean should become our governor.
“I’m the one that will come clean because I have not mortgaged my conscience, neither have I mortgaged anything against other people.
“I also do not have no baggage around me.”
The ADC standard bearer further spoke on his plan to fully engage traditional rulers in the fight against insecurity in the state.
He regretted that royal fathers, who are the custodians of security in their communities, were not financially empowered to be able to discharge the duty of fighting crime and criminality.
He said that he would ensure that funds would be allocated to them so that they would complement government’s efforts in crime prevention.
The cleric, who had been in the forefront of the struggle for for the release of the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, said that negotiations were still ongoing.
He reaffirmed his belief that the Federal Government’s case against Kanu required a political solution.
He said that Kanu’s continued incarceration had been largely responsible for the security breaches in the South-East.
Onuoha also spoke on his plans to transform the health sector, saying that he had purchased a multi-million dollars mobile medical clinic for the state.
He also said that a multi-million naira ultra modern hospital he started in his Item Community had reached 70 per cent completion.
Earlier in a remark, the Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Chief Obinna Ibe, said that the forum was introduced to provide a platform for the 2023 candidates to unfold their manifestos to the electorate.
Ibe said that it was part of the agenda-setting role of the media to give the candidates equal opportunity to reach out to the people.
He also said that the chapel had the plan to further organise debates for the candidates ahead of 2022. (NAN)
A.I
Tags: ADC Biafra Bishop Sunday Onuoha Mr Obioma Onwukaike. Mrs Ngozi Nwasinmuo Nnamdi Kanu President Olusegun Obasanjo
