It is crystal clear that the Monday, June 20, 2016 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary, held in Benin City to choose a candidate for the September 10, 2016 governorship election in Edo State, did not falter in its choice of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the party’s ensign bearer who, from the outset of his political odyssey, has been fired by the zeal and will to serve.
The overwhelming election of Pastor Ize-Iyamu, confirmed pre-primary straw polls that gave the party’s flag to the amiable pastor who did his homework long ago in readiness for putting his services on the side of all Edo people.
The massive support he is getting now is the mustard seed that he sowed many years ago that has germinated, bloomed and transformed into a tree of gargantuan proportions waiting for harvest on Saturday, September 10, 2016.
Firstly, he served as a Special Assistant to the Chairman of the old Oredo Local Government Council (now Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba Okha) from 1988 to 1989; Chief of Staff to the Governor of Edo State from 1999 to 2003 and Secretary to Edo State Government from 2003 to 2007. He acquitted himself creditably while understudying the workings and mechanism of government and governance.
At the centre-stage of his aspiration to be the helmsman at the vanguard of a new Edo State, will be the re-engineering and rejuvenation of governance and equitable distribution of the dividends of democracy in the 192 wards of the state.
Pastor Ize-Iyamu has, in his quest to serve the state as governor, entered into a covenant with all Edo people in the pursuance of good governance in the prime areas of infrastructure development; human capital development; agriculture; commerce and industry; education; women and youth empowerment; child rights; healthcare delivery; solid minerals exploration and exploitation; primacy in sports and recreation; alternative sources of power and energy etc.
These and other sustainable development indices and clear-cut problem-solving modems are wholly-encapsulated in Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s SIMPLE AGENDA – a sectoral layout of workable ideas and ideals designed to take Edo State and its people notches higher.
The Core Objectives and Sectoral Commentaries are abridged below:
Security or Social Welfare
The SIMPLE Agenda rates security as the bedrock of sustainable development through the use of cutting-edge technology and intelligence-driven approach to combat crime and criminality and thereby attracting entrepreneurial and industrial investors to the state.
The provision of adequate materials support such as operational vehicles and retaining communication equipment or crime detection and analysts equipment and accessories etc. to the Police and other security agencies will be stepped up while community policing will be given a new impetus in the urban and rural areas of the state.
The age-long incidents of community clashes over lands and chieftaincy matters will be tackled effectively and stopped.
Incidents of cultism, kidnapping etc will be dealt with.
Social welfare of the people will be driven by government’s involvement through the dedicated issuance of Social Security Number to Edolites to track assistance requirements of the women, children, the physically-challenged, aged and other vulnerable groups in Edo State.
Others include the regular payment of pension to those concerned and also without stress, the regularisation of the employment processes through a dedicated data base containing personal data of the unemployed; the discouragement of child labour and abuse and the protection of the rights of widows and children in the estates of their deceased husbands and fathers.
Infrastructure Development and Urban Renewal
The main thrust of the infrastructure development and urban renewal of Edo State is two pronged – to bequeath to the people a legacy of functional physical structures that will positively affect the living standard of the people and transform the state’s economy through the provision and maintenance of basic infrastructure that will enhance and sustain the competitiveness of Edo State in commerce and industry.
Existing roads and drains will be constructed, reconstructed and rehabilitated to connect diverse communities and thereby improve arterial connectivity that will promote trade and commerce, inter and intra local government area.
A major aspect of this sector is that the PDP government under the stewardship of Pastor Ize-Iyamu will strive to complete all on-going projects to ensure value for the people’s money.
The state government will be in synergy with the 18 local government councils and the component communities in the areas of self-help projects while the LGCs will regain their autonomy and be able to rehabilitate road, culverts etc within their geographical jurisdiction.
While putting the Benin Storm Water Project on the front-burner, the state government will create and develop new towns and settlements around Benin City; extend the Airport Road beyond its present limit; open up new job creation areas by encouraging renowned construction firms to station their plants and machinery in the three senatorial districts and establish a dedicated Edo State Road Maintenance Agency to maintain and rehabilitate all roads in the state, on a continuous basis.
Other strategic areas of attention include Electrification, Water Supply, Healthcare (Primary, Rural Healthcare, Cottage Hospitals, General /Specialist Hospitals and Environmental Health and Sanitation); Fire Service’ (3) Housing etc.
Manpower Development and Training
Being the most crucial and critical sector of the Simple Agenda, Manpower development is premised on a sound and profitable education policy which will be driven by science and technology; commerce, finance and entrepreneurial ability; proper and prompt payment of salaries and other emoluments; training and retraining of teachers and other auxiliary staff; re-introduction of boarding facilities; scholarship awards; new workshops and laboratories; emphasis on technical and vocational training; technical training centres/small-scale production outfits; ICT; compulsory one-month internship in the last year of SS3; compulsory skills acquisition in Junior secondary schools; higher and professional education; bursary, in-service training; youth development and sports in all schools; reintroduction of Ogbe Hard Court Tennis Championship and the resuscitation of the Insurance Football Club; reclaiming the state’s primacy in sports generally etc.
Public/Private Partnership (PPP)
The state will explore and exploit the many benefits of the Public/Private Partnership (PPP) modem, to realize the state and its people’s economic potentials in many areas of commerce and industry.
In the SIMPLE Agenda, Pastor Ize-Iyamu has reaffirmed his candid world-view that as the servant of the people of Edo State, his administration will provide a very conducive and stress-free environment for willing investors (entrepreneurs and industrialists) to come and do business in the state without the fear of any draconian intent on the part of government.
In addition to engendering good governance and catering to the overall interests and welfare of the people, the post-November 12, 2016 administration under the stewardship of Pastor Ize-Iyamu, will endeavour to jettison the multiple and double taxation regime that has bled Edolites and business organizations. This important factor will be pursued, pari-passu, with the new PDP government’s wealth creation module that is built on the achievable vision of enabling a discernable economic empowerment of a larger mass of Edo people.
The crux of the tax policy (collection and utilisation processes) will be people-driven and dependent on verifiable development indices in concept, scope, humaneness, accountability, transparency and compassion.
In addition to the foregoing, the state government will convoke an international turnkey business conference to chart a new course for business activities in Edo State; create the Edo State Investment Promotion Commission (ESIPC) to promote inward investments, entrepreneurship support and development; create and run business and specialised clusters in the three senatorial districts of the state; establish a working synergy with the Edo State Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the areas of support, information, business start-ups and growth capacity enhancement programmes; resuscitate and revamp the state’s industries such as the Auchi Fertiliser Plant, the Cassavita Industry in Uromi, the Fruit Juice Factory in Ehor, Bendel Brewery in Benin City, Ewu Flour Mill etc; expand or relocate the Benin Airport; partner investors to develop sea routes; develop and extend railway lines to the three senatorial districts; establish two trailer park in Oluku-Ore road and Aviele on the Benin/Auchi road; revive Edo Line and revamp Edo City Transport Service (ECTS) for greater efficiency and profitability; harness the potential financial and intellectual investments of the state’s indigenes in the Diaspora; empower small-scale farmers and promote large-scale commercial farming; produce agricultural raw materials for the industrial sector; rural and urban development to discourage rural-urban drift; place emphasis on rice, poultry, livestock production; resuscitate of the Urhonigbe Rubber Estate; development of large-scale oil-palm, cocoa and cashew nurseries ; establish 100,000 hectares of cassava seed multiplication farms in the 18 local government areas of the state; set-up of specialised agricultural Marketing boards and companies; establish a cassava processing factory at Irrua and 10 additional ones in strategic locations in the state; cultivation of sugarcane in commercial quantities; promote tourism; construct new eco-friendly markets.
Leadership by Example
In consonance with the moral expectations of the people of Edo State, the SIMPLE Agenda espouses and requires the demonstration of high moral values in the conduct of state business while deploying discipline and good leadership attitude at all times. This is encapsulated in the Open Government and Accountable Administration (OGAA) platform that the Pastor Ize-Iyamu Administration will operate from and restore the people’s confidence in government.
Employment Creation and Social Empowerment
The government will endeavour to direct the energy of the youths of Edo State to productive avenues, through the creation of job opportunities such as the PPP industrial schemes, Youth Empowerment Through Agriculture and Farmer’s Support Programme (YETA-FSP); local business; the Graduate Youth Entrepreneurial Scheme etc; waste management programmes; solid minerals; funding through finance organisations etc.
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is fully aware that a good leader should embody, exhibit, exude and execute pristine service to his people with undiluted courage, due diligence, accountability, implicit self-confidence, Solomonic wisdom, truth, positive vision, unwavering impartiality and absolute fear of God. In his dealings and engagements with the people of Edo State, Pastor Ize-Iyamu is set to employ these ingrained leadership attributes and virtues, in the interest of all the citizens of the state, if given the mandate of governorship on September 10, 2016.
#TheFutureIsNow!
It is crystal clear that the Monday, June 20, 2016 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary, held in Benin City to choose a candidate for the September 10, 2016 governorship election in Edo State, did not falter in its choice of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the party’s ensign bearer who, from the outset of his political odyssey, has been fired by the zeal and will to serve.
The overwhelming election of Pastor Ize-Iyamu, confirmed pre-primary straw polls that gave the party’s flag to the amiable pastor who did his homework long ago in readiness for putting his services on the side of all Edo people.
The massive support he is getting now is the mustard seed that he sowed many years ago that has germinated, bloomed and transformed into a tree of gargantuan proportions waiting for harvest on Saturday, September 10, 2016.
Written by Chris Osa Nehikhare, SPS PDP Edo State.
