Over the years, Abia State appears unlucky in terms of governance, because of the paucity of ideas by people steering the affairs of the state. As the 2023 general election approaches, conscientious Abians who have been presented an opportunity to reset their fate have submitted through the African Action Congress a rare-breed politician, Bond Ohuche. In a long chat with Journalist, Damilare Adenola, the well-educated professional rides throughis fortune of life-changing plans for Abians.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Chief Bond Christian Oluchukwu Ohuche. I’m a native of Amoba, in Arochukwu kingdom, Arochukwu LGA of Abia state. I’m married with two children

I attended primary school in Onunweke primary school where my mother taught from 1980 to 1986. Became the general monitor.

Attended St Augustine’s seminary Ezzangbo and finished secondary school at Izzi high school where I became the deputy senior perfect, founder and leader of the school’s debate and jets clubs.

I proceeded to university of Nigeria, NSUKKA thereafter. I have a degree in geology and mining. A masters degree in hydrogeology. A B.Ed degree in political science/education. I’m also a member of the international water association, UK

Why did you decide to run for the No 1 office in the state?

My state, Abia, is not making progress. From lack of statecraft by her leaders to infrastructural decay. Civil servants and retired personnel are owed years of salaries and pensions. Waste has taken over the state and it’s impossible to access over 70 percent of local government areas from the capital!

For instance, in my kingdom of Arochukwu, there’s no Abia to Abia road to it. One must go through akwa ibom to access my kingdom. Are you aware that even primary school teachers just returned from a prolonged strike? Healthcare delivery is zero! So zero that the incumbent governor boasted about giving mothers 500naira as palliative after childbirth! What impudence!!!

Seeing all these ills bedeviling my dear state and after a comprehensive assessment of all sectors, I decided to join the race, having armed myself with the necessary skills and mostly home made, Affordable solutions to the state’s problems

How would you rate the performance of the incumbent government?

Zero! They’re not paying salaries and pensions. They’re not building durable roads. They’re not equipping the hospitals. They’re not evacuating waste nor converting same to power and other better uses. They’re not building nor encouraging the building of industries and new businesses. They’re not inspiring confidence. They’re only using the state media to spread propaganda and using some other means to subjugate the people who challenge them.

But hope is coming!

What are your plans for the state?

Our government will massively deploy technology across schools and provide what we call relevant Education which focuses on skills acquisition so as to ensure that our graduands and graduates are employable, self reliant and useful to both selves and society.

Our government will establish three modular refineries within the first year to process Abia’s crude oil for pms, diesel and kerosene. These refineries will not only provide the needed jobs but also ensure that our oil communities and some other Abians have some level of equity in the shareholding of the refineries. This will ensure the security of the investments and also their sustainability as a formidable going concern over next decades.

Our government will implement an organic security policy that focuses on getting the people who own the lands and forests to police them. Every inch of land in Abia state is owned by one family or community and nobody can better protect your space than yourself. They and our regular security agencies will in turn counter police each other while working together to secure our people, their farms, and sundry properties. Security is not just about guns and bullets. If it were, then heavy arms-producing nations would have been the safest in the world! In our particular case, we’ll equally implement policies that ensure that the incentives for crime are annihilated. Our people are hard-working people and need just the appropriate and targeted government policy kick-off to realign towards productivity.

Our government will build micro and mini turbines of not more than 2MW each and partner with the EEDC to use these captive power stations and electrify our state so as to power our local economy which is near comatose owing to the high cost of diesel and associated costs. The business models of these power stations will be such that host communities also own some reasonable volume of equity in their shareholding so as to ensure its security and sustainability as a profitable business cum social service.

Our government will build durable roads using a mixture of both cement and asphalt depending on the geotechnical configurations of the benefitting communities. The contracts for these roads will also be structured in such a way that benefiting communities also share a percentage of the profits accruing to the contractors.

Our government will use the town unions and other registered associations to implement a very robust healthcare insurance policy. This will ensure that our citizens access primary to tertiary healthcare services, including burial/support funds just by paying token annual insurance premium which may not be up to 15,000naira to cover the entire family members. These we’ll do while upgrading health facilities, recruiting and adequately renumerating healthcare workers optimally with a special focus on their welfare.

Our government will implement robust waste to Wealth program which will not only ensure we have a cleaner environment but also help Abians get paid for disposing their waste appropriately. The ones for recycling will be done while using the rest to generate electricity.

Our government intends to socialize profits and privatize losses instead of the reverse scenario which our looting elite have subjected us to.

Our government will deploy technology to ascertain our staff strength and both pensions and salaries exposures. We will take very concrete steps from inception to restructure the pensions scheme, pay off the backlog and migrate the ones in active service into a more  rewarding and zero fraudulent pension scheme. This will boost productivity in the public service and eliminate the incentives for age falsification and stealing due to a hopeless pension scheme that doesn’t secure their future.

My dear people of Abia state. Today I present you with a choice. To either continue on same trajectory that has placed us at the bottom of the comity of sub national governments or to make a clean break from the chains and commence an assured voyage into productivity, mass prosperity and bliss.

For me and my household, we’ll go with this credible alternative which AAC and her candidates represent!

Ndewonu

For 23 years, the center of excellence and the economic capital of Nigeria has been managed by one party, although at some point have rebranded. Again in 2023, the contest for the no 1 position in the state will be open  and personalities and parties in their numbers have thrown their hat in the ring; Amongst them is Mr. Akeem Olayiwola, the flag bearer of the AAC party in conjunction with Ben Eze, an astute academician. In an interview with reporter, Damilare Adenola, the business mogul digs into his profile and shares thrilling views of the state.

Can you Introduce yourself?

My name is OLAYIWOLA AKEEM, I am the Lagos State governorship candidate for AFRICAN ACTION CONGRESS -AAC.

I hold a B.Sc. in Mass communication from Olabisi onabanjo University Ago Iwoye. Ogun state. I’m a freight forwarding business mogul. I’m married with kids.

There is the saying that lagos is a mega city, do you agree?

No… presently Lagos State cannot be adjudged as a mega city, owing to the fact that amenities with which to determine a mega city are not visible in the State.

A mega city is expected of bearing facilities of modern development in virtually every sectors in the state. i.e ranging from transportation, education health, security architecture, and general way of life of the people.

How would you rate the performance of the incumbent governor in terms of development?

Nothing at all to rate as a performance.
The incumbent governor failed the state in every area; in terms of education, it failed woefully. In this 21st century, the number of schools/classrooms are not enough to contain the wards and this grossly subject our primary and secondary schools to a mere center of breeding thugs, cultists, and other criminals since the classrooms are overcrowded for a teacher to properly manage and monitor the activities of about eighty to one hundred students in a classroom.

In the health sector, if he performed brilliantly in this area, the chief cabal of Lagos wouldn’t have traveled for medicals when he was sick. Unfortunately, the political godson of the known cabal did not add up any hospital or even a common clinic to what Bàbá Lateef Jakande had built from 1979-1984. Also, the sector is bereft of adequate medical equipment and the lack of manpower is mitigating the quality of health deliveries.

In the housing sector, Lagos State needs a minimum of 193,000 housing unit yearly so as to create shelter for the low earner income of ₦59,000 a month. The current Lagos state government in collaboration with private bodies only delivered 6,300 housing units in three years in office.

Transportation: nothing to show for this compared to what the sector is raking in as revenue to the state. Lagos State is not annexing the water transportation to decongest road usage and ease the mobility of Lagosians.

Waste management: this suppose to be a community project under the supervision of local governments in a supposed mega city, but local governments in Lagos State are operating like branches of state government without any tangible function.

In the area of security, the 2022 budget on security is ₦70.716bn, and this is purely exclusive of the monthly security allowance from the federal government. With this huge amount devoted to security, no street in Lagos State should be without a properly installed CCTV camera to monitor activities.

In conclusion, the Incumbent governor failed in every sector when juxtaposing its revenue to it’s performance.

Why are you contesting for the no 1 position in lagos?

I am contesting for the number 1 position in Lagos State to return government to the people. I am contesting to give equity and justice to the people of Lagos State so that elusive peace and love can be restored in the State.

Why your choice of the AAC party?

I am a grassroots pioneer and registered member of the AAC party. AAC as a revolutionary and socialist party has a well-structured manifesto that revolves around upgrading people’s welfare.

As the 2023 general election approaches, personalities and parties have entered the contest of who will generally oversee the Nature’s gift to the Nation. One of this many personalities but a distinguished is Dr. David Charima who spoke extensively to, reporter, DAMILARE Adenola, about his game-changing plans.

Can you introduce yourself sir?

Dr. David Victor Joel Charima is my name but officially prefers to be known as Dr David Charima. I hail from Nanzo Village of Abbare B Ward of Lau LGA of Taraba State. I am a trained Veterinary Surgeon and Member of Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) and Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN).

I have an Executive Diploma in Entrepreneurship and MBA in Business Administration from Taraba Business School where I was retained to serve as a Senior Lecturer after graduating with Distinction.

I am a community youth leader of yandang Nation. Also a Director, Nigerian Young Professional Forum (NYPF) Taraba State Chapter. I once Contested for State Chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN). Finally, an Ambassador of National Yandang Youth Development Association.

I was the President of Joint Christian Campus Fellowship University of Maiduguri where he was instrumental to the building of Students Ecumenical Center

Do you have any background in politics?

I was a confidential aide to the Deputy Governor Taraba State from 1st November 2016-2020. I was also the Senior Special Assistant to the Executive Governor of Taraba State and concurrently, a Special Aide to the Deputy Governor before resigning to contest for Governor myself.

Why are you contesting for the no 1 seat in Taraba state?

There are three reasons why I have decided to throw my hat into the ring; the Challenge, the myth and the Vision.

THE CHALLENGE:

In 2008, we were sharing banters with my Secondary School Classmates and one of them shut me up saying; ‘When people from great States are talking, People from Taraba should shut up because it is a “One Street State’

And in 2008, ten years after, a similar situation presented itself and I was asked to shut up because Taraba is backwards by 2 weeks and that National dailies reach Taraba two days after and we do not have what it takes to be called a State.

No airport and other social infrastructural developments including that attracts the world to States.

THE MYTH:

To demystify the outplays of those who emerged as Governor has been my resolve.

A. To prove that Leadership is not rocket science but it takes Political will, Visionary passion and Innovative creativity to become a great leader which we lack since 1999.

B. It is said that those who emerged as Governors have an initials that match the DD and another letter to emerge.

In 2007 – Danbaba Danfulani Suntai (DDS) was Governor

In 2015 – Darius Dickson Ishaku (DDI) is Governor and I strongly believe that

In 2023 Dr David Charima (DDC) is next

THE VISION:

The Vision is to SEE a greater Taraba against all odds

What are you game-changing plans?

Taraba State has been governed by a Bloc that only serves its purposes and vested interests, but our goal is to, in spite of such obligations we shall

#1. Drive the message of unity and equal coexistence between Waring communities and religious distinctions

#2. Ban the export of all raw materials and agricultural produce and Industrailize those commodities by processing, packaging and marketing them as finished products

#3. Drive both urban and rutal infrastructural and social developments by decentralizing the Education sector (Satellite Campuses) across the 16 LGAs and siting industries in every Local Council

#4. Focus on Tourism developments and encouraging socio-cultural festivities across the over 40 ethnic groups

#5. Boost Livestock and modern animal husbandry to feed the nation to meet up the United Nations proposition to achieve protein demand in our foods.

SEE happens to be an acronym adopted by your campaign, what does it mean?

I SEE a Greater Taraba Vision is essentially an acronym for

1. S – Security

2. E – Economy

3. E – Education

SECURITY:

To ensure and enforce Peace in the state we shall ensure and enforce the following;

1. Develop a database of the current population through digital censors program and developing a computerized medical record system of births and deaths index.

2.  Place a ban on illegal immigration, settlement and encroachment.

3. Enforce the Executive order to ensure that two-fighting is a state crime. And shall form part of curriculum from nursery to higher levels of education and Faith base Institutions.

4. Traditional council leaders shall be held to account for any ethnic or religious crisis or dispute.

5. An Executive order shall be passed and signed to revoke the privileges of whoever takes laws into their hands in no matter the case that leads to destruction of lives and properties.

6. Whoever, is involved in land dispute and takes the law into his or her hand shall lose such property no matter his position as owner or caretaker.

7. Kidnapping, Cattle rustling and Insurgency shall, through Executive bills and signed act receive State Capital Punishment of the death penalty and corruption as well.

ECONOMY:

Civil Service can not meet the growing demand for job creation at the expense of the deficiency of wealth creation. The annual budget of Taraba State since 2020 is over 100 Billion but our internally Generated Revenue is less than 5 Billion Naira. This means TARABA STATE IS BROKE!

Our goal is to ban all export of raw materials and agricultural produce while we process, package and market those products.

Our first target shall be to invest, partner and collaborate with Corporate organizations to boost

1. Sugar Production

2. Rice Production

3. Tomatoes Production

4. Cocoa Processing

5. Groundnut Processing

6. Palm Oil Production

7. Salt Production

Within the first four years and the below shall be in the second term

1. Natural Resources Exploration and Processing

2. Cotton-Garment industry

3. Tourism Development

4. Shea butter Oil and Olive Oil Production

5. Woodwork Production (Afforestatiin of cash tress and Furnituring)

6. Excellent Education and Working Environment of all Sector

7. Entrepreneurship Development and Empowerment Scheme.

In all of the above we shall ensure the following;

1. Healthcare Development

2. Education Revolution

3. Road Infrastructure

4. Housing Development

5. Veterinary and Livestock Development

6. Water Development

7. Food Security.

EDUCATION:

First is to

1. Remodel our curriculum to infuse

A. Technology and Computing

B. Entrepreneurship Development and E-commerce

C. Peace and Conflict Resolution

D. State Laws and capital crimes subjects

E. Skill Acquisition and Arts/Crafts

2. Excellent Learning and Conducive Environment

3. Establishing Satellite Campuses in LGAs

4. Encouraging Professional Courses

5. State Special Science and Commercial Schools

6. Re-establishment of Teachers College

7. Establishment of Teachers Training Institute.