“We must capture and relaunch Anambra state”

Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, gubernatorial candidate of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP)

—Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, gubernatorial candidate of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP)
By Okechukwu Obenta, Awka
Why do you think that Anambra State has not developed progressively enough?
It is possible that only very few individuals can still remember how it all started; but surely one thing led to the other, and before anybody knew it, our beloved Anambra State had taken a place at the bottom in virtually all fields of life, a pariah State so to speak. To the shock of many and perhaps the excitement of just a few, Anambra State has become a dirty habit, a troubled land which attracted in its trail hoots of derision and comments of disrespect. Sad enough, our State has come to represent a tribe of people who can easily be bought, a community where many of it’s leaders lack character and focus; in fact, a society where lawless actions can comfortably reside and be tolerated.
The consequence of this is not just a mere image problem, it has taken its expensive toll by the paucity, if not lack of investment in the State. It is trite that development does not as rule go to troubled lands.
The blow on the people’s psychology resulting therefrom cannot be measured. For some Anambrarians, it now required a godly portion of will power to own up nativity of this once revered State.
In fact, our willful options as people have over the years become fatally distuned such that is not intended that our State should attain. We have perhaps, unintentionally exposed ourselves to the scorn of other states that are no better than us in any parameter of life.
It is therefore correct that Anambra State stands in dire need of a thorough re-branding from the negative colorations about her in the minds of other members of the polity called Nigeria. We must have to act now. If we do nothing, our children are likely to bring us upon an inquest and demands how their fathers plundered a great and blessed State, both in morals and in resources.
Perhaps, it is because of your conviction that the trend can be reversed that informed your seeming desperation to be governor of the state?
My aspiration is certainly not an act of desperation. It is rather born out of a desire to what one considers a divine commission to assist humanity.
Today, therefore, is an opportunity for us to put things right.
We must therefore initiate positive changes in the perception of Anambra State and its people by other Nigerians.
We must recapture and re-launch Anambra State as a home of inimitable enterprise, chivalry, courage, industry resourcefulness and hospitality.
We must keep pace with the globalisation of the economy. A dredged River Niger will be sine qua-non-for effective participation in this new economy.
We must organise the enterprising Igbo, encourage professional networking and re-empower them for re-emergence and re-entry into the mainstream of Nigerian business and economy. We must restore the dignity of the traditional institution in the State.
We must make Anambra State to work again as a place worthy of great investment and stem the tide of capital flight from our State.
We must pragmatically fight hunger, unemployment, disease, illiteracy, superstition, idleness, insecurity by offering noble alternatives in food production, job creation, poverty alleviation, better equipped hospitals, modern schools, more functional public utilities, conflict management and resolution.
In trying to do all these, we must involve the spirit of some Anambra patriots and heroes who have gone the way of all flesh. To the likes of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. Akwaeke Abysinnia Nwafor-Orizu, Sir Louis Mbanefo, Professor Kenneth Dike, Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu, Blessed Iwene Tansi,we say peace to their valued dust and honour to their great memory.
To other Anambra sons and daughters excelling in their different callings in Nigeria and other climes, we cannot but see them as worthy instruments for survival, inspiration and greater impulses of victory for our dear State.
If you eventually emerge as Governor, how would you address the problems?
Our development efforts will therefore be three pronged in order to address the physical, psychological and spiritual needs of the human persons in Anambra State.
Some of the major issues facing the global society is education. Of all the things it pleased God to allow us cultivate, there is none that wears a purer fragrance or bears a heavenlier aspect than education. At home, education is a friend, abroad education is introduction, in solitude it is a solace; in society, education remains the most splendid ornament.
These immortal and noble words of Charles Philips are sufficient to describe the importance to which we will ascribe to progressive education and the impetus it will be offered by the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) government in the State. As the world continues to shrink further into one small community of men and women, the need for education in the adaptation and socialisation process in the small, very complex community cannot be overemphasised.
But in pursing education, we will favour a broad based approach that will include a mastery entrepreneurship. The life of tomorrow requires graduates who must be capable of managing their own businesses. We firmly believe that opportunities begin with a quality education. The public and private sectors each play a critical role in enabling quality education.
In the global information economy, the future prospects of individuals and entire nations rest on the quality of education available to them. When high quality education is widely accessible, citizenry, countries and industries flourish, people’s lives improve through access to better economic opportunities, and the spark of innovation fosters continued human progress.
Broadening access to quality education for all people is a critical building block of peaceful and prosperous societies.
We address the technology issues of infrastructure and access, the people issues of teacher and the government issues of funding and accountability.
We must put the most brilliant minds and the most innovative technologies to work to achieve the central challenge of this millennium-education for all.
We will de-emphasise paper qualification and offer the necessary fillip to those who in real terms can defend whatever certificates they are custodians of. It is our studied opinion that it is only by so doing will students be dissuaded from seeking all ways to cut corners in order to get the almighty certificate. This will be our policy for employment in the civil service.
We will emphasise sustainable human development by utilisation of natural physical and human resources to meet the needs of our urban and rural population, hence, satisfying the aspirations and needs of the present generation to meet their own needs.
Sustainable development will therefore, as a precondition, require functional electrification, housing programmes, availability of functional water supply, good network of roads, health facilities, internal security, access to finances, favorable land tenure system for enhanced agricultural productions.
There is palpable hunger in the State and indeed in Nigeria. A hungry man is not just angry but a very difficult person to govern. We will therefore embark on unprecedented agrarian revolution to solve the food needs of our people.
Agriculture is predominately rain fed, but irrigation can add to profitable growing of cassava, rice, maize et cetera.
Agriculture is the dominant economic activity in terms of employment and linkages with the rest of the economy. Seventy five per cent of our land is arable.
The revolution will first start by improving the status of the farmers who have long felt despised, debased and depreciated, a feeling that has badly affected the zeal and enthusiasm for agriculture.
We will target real farmers in the states and ensure that all credits pertaining to agriculture are easily accessible to them.
We will work with the legislature to pas a “Homestead law”. By the terms of this act, any one might have 160 acres of public land by agreeing to cultivate it for five years. This enlightened legislation will enable several thousand farmers to locate on the virgin soil and thereby advance economic democracy.
We will also pursue public domain act, which will grant several million acres of public domain for the endowment and maintenance of agricultural and industrial colleges. Properly harnessed rail lines and network of good roads pushing rapidly and connecting these farms will efficiently evacuate the produce to markets.
Highly mechanised modern agriculture will be subsidised by our government for commercial yam, cassava and rice cultivation.
We will encourage high breed of cattle on the rich grasses of the Omambala. With good road network, refrigerated trucks and establishment of packing houses, it will be profitable to improve the breed for exports.
In order for our state to develop, we need a technology infrastructure that supports the technology transfer and manufacturing extension process.
We are blessed with abundant water resource and substantial groundwater available in the large sedimentary basins. Today, only 52 per cent of urban dwellers and a very small per cent of rural dwellers have access to portable water. We must tackle and improve this situation by five per cent per annum.
We will pursue and ensure an integrated and sustainable water resources management to meet our State’s present and future water resource needs in all demand sectors-including human consumption, animal husbandry, agriculture, hydropower, inland waterway environmental protection and industry.
Because of the internet, the world is now a telecommunication village. This government will promote information and communications technology as an instrument of mass education, growth and development.
We will improve access to internet connectivity and raise the level of computer usage and literacy.
We will establish ICT centers and information resource centers for teachers and students to complement formal and life-long education and create awareness of their importance.
How would you assess the nation’s democratic practice since inception about 10 years ago and the conduct of the leaders?
In any event, democracy has always managed to find great leaders in time of great crisis. Sometimes, the choice has been reasoned and deliberate, at other times it has been largely fortuitous.
Such a leader would have other qualities besides experience and knowledge he has to have an instinctive faith in the common man, belief in political equality, hatred of monopoly and special privileges, rationalised faith in democracy, politically astute, understand the art of leadership, an instinct for the jugular vein of great issues. He needs to be opportunistic as to means, compromised on non essentials but rarely on essentials, and knows that politics is an art as well as a science. He would not be deluded by the notion that society could be remade by blueprints or that statecraft could be watered down to a scientific management or engineering project. He should trust politician and not distrust experts. He should have broad interests, indefatigable energy and infectious buoyancy.
It is an ancient but tireless truth that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. It is however sad that asides from the good health, which a lovely providence permits, his creatures, our hospitals are ill equipped and operate at an embarrassing level of destitution. It is abysmal development that 17 years after the creation of Anambra State you can still count in the fingers of one hand to further dialysis can be done.
We will purposefully seek to further reduce maternal mortality rate from 704 per 100,000 live births and infant mortality from the current level of 77 per 1,000.
We will commit to health insurance schemes for all Anambrarians.
What special programme do you have for women and youth empowerment?
We will tackle HIV/AIDs challenge and seek to achieve at least a 25 per cent reduction in the adult prevalence of HIV every five years.
We will empower people infected and affected by HIV/AIDs to cope with their circumstance through training, counselling and educating them.
Sustainable good governance should fully integrate women by enhancing their capacity to participate in the economic, social, political and cultural life of the state. To further these millennium goals, we will ensure equitable representation of women to at lest 30 per cent of the workface, where feasible mainstream women’s concern and perspective in all polices and programmes.
In the case of youths, we will expand opportunities for vocational training and entrepreneuring development.
Provide facilities for sports and recreation, promote the arts and culture, wage a sustainable campaign against drug use and abuse, cultism, prostitution and trafficking.