Let’s Do It ... It’s Possible The Mission Preamble This document, which lays out my development agenda if elected as Chairman of Isoko South Local Government, was not born in isolation. It was put together over the months in close consultation with people from all walks of life in our locality: farmers, market men and women, teachers, security agencies, civil servants, among others. At this time when we are witnessing a serious lack of trust between the leaders and the led, I strongly believe that we need a government that trusts its people, and most importantly, a government the people can trust and work with to accomplish the Isoko South of our collective dream. Public trust and support must be earned through transparency, accountability, probity and responsiveness to the yearnings and aspirations of the people as aptly captured by the slogan of our great party, the PDP which is Power to the People through whom it is given by God Almighty. Therefore, my administration will strive to achieve our dream of prosperity for all by empowering our people for equality and prosperity, and by involving them in the governance process. My Vision An egalitarian Isoko South that is economically vibrant, environmentally rich, socio-culturally harmonious and politically united to enable the pursuit of happiness by everyone. I see an Isoko South where good governance will be a key priority of the leaders so that every son or daughter of the land can enjoy security, welfare and prosperity. I see a local government area where our pursuit of social and economic development mirrors the values of liberty, justice, equal opportunity and basic social security for all. THE AGENDA My administration will initiate a Meet-the-People program. Under this programme, we will hold quarterly town hall meetings with the people. This will enable us to directly feel their pulse on government’s policies and programmes. My administration will also use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, among others, to keep our people across the country and around the world connected with the local government. Constantly staying in touch with the governed is crucial to keep the council leadership abreast of their problems or challenges. This program will also ensure transparency, accountability and probity in governance. I will ensure every dime of the council funds is accounted for and judiciously utilised for the development of Isoko South. Our bye-laws will be reformed and institutions of the local government strengthened for efficient service delivery to our people. Anti-Corruption With a clear understanding that corruption is an evil, my administration will adopt a policy of zero tolerance to the cankerworm. We will review the internal audit system of the local government to ensure proper tracking of all incoming and outgoing funds. All the loopholes through which public funds are criminally diverted into private coffers will be identified and sealed off. My administration will ensure that corruption cases are promptly referred to the relevant anti-graft agencies. In doing these, there will be no sacred cows. Peace and Security For me, the peace and security of Isoko South is non-negotiable and will be accorded the highest of priorities. My administration will formulate plans to support the police and other security agencies in executing strategies to ensure the safety of our people. Our approach in this regard will be multi-pronged. First, we will check crime through educational and advocacy programs. We will explore all the channels of communication and interaction highlighted earlier to educate our people on their civic responsibilities in crime prevention. Second, my administration will initiate a neighbourhood watch programme with support from the Police, State Security Service and other security agencies to ensure our neighbourhoods are safe. Third, we shall strengthen our vigilante groups with logistics and the legal backing to effectively do their work. They must know their role which primarily involves provision of intelligence on the activities of criminals to security agencies. The police cannot be in every community at the same time, so our vigilante services will be made to fill the gap. Lastly, my administration will constantly reach out to heads of our traditional institutions and the leadership of community development associations to work closely in the resolution of group and communal misunderstanding. This is to forestall a breakdown of law and order as well as to bring peace to our locality. Education It is a common knowledge that no society can rise above the level of education of its citizens. We also know that primary education, which is under the purview of the local government, is the most critical stage of the formal learning process. My administration will ensure that the primary education system is improved upon. We will set up monitoring teams that will address the issue of lateness, truancy and absenteeism among pupils and teachers. I see children roam the streets in uniforms during school hours or pupils who go late to school. I see teachers who abandon their job to pursue one private business or the other. My mission, therefore, is to take our kids off the streets and back to school. Through a vigorous monitoring and advocacy programme, we will make them to understand that their future is in education. We will also ensure the teachers stay in their classrooms and do their work. However, I am not unmindful of the challenges our teachers face. We need to support and work with them, not against them, to raise the standard of our primary education. My administration will establish Children Creative Centres in at least two primary schools to be selected by the Local Government. The centres, equipped with books, computers and other relevant facilities, will help to ignite and advance creative thinking in our children. We will equally set up modern libraries equipped with computers in the primary schools to help our children in their studies. Books and other instructional materials to boost the teaching of Science, Mathematics and History will also be provided. Healthcare My administration will make access to quality rural healthcare services the birth right of every Isoko Southerner. To this end, we will carefully look at our primary health centres and make sure they are equipped with the facilities, pharmacies and competent personnel required to render quality services to our people. The issue of shortage of healthcare professionals in the centres will be immediately addressed. In this regard, we will collaborate with the National Youth Service Corps to provide us with a minimum of five and a maximum of 10 youth corps member doctors that will assist in our healthcare services to the people. We will also encourage, and if possible sponsor our young boys and girls who want to be nurses to different schools of nursing. As part of our strategies, every four months with effect from January 2015, we will build and adequately equip two health centres in different parts of the local government. We will also address the issue of poor attitude of rural health personnel to work as well as the poor environmental condition of our health centres. As chairman, I will ensure that primary health workers in our locality are well motivated and encouraged to do their work. Under my administration, the local government immunisation programme will be accorded due priority to protect our children against child-killer diseases. Environment It shall be the policy of my administration to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives. There is no reason why the sanitary condition of our roads, streets, markets, schools and health centres should degenerate to its current sorry state with its attendant grave danger to the health of our people. Therefore, we will put in place an effective waste management system to ensure regular and proper disposal of household and industrial wastes. We will also review and strengthen our existing bye-law that makes Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) mandatory for all developmental and industrial projects. We will encourage communities to plant trees in different parts of the council area as part of our efforts to complement the state government’s tree planting campaign. Agriculture At least, 70% of our population depends on agriculture. But we are yet to see agriculture as a major contributor to the economy of our local government and by extension, the state. Therefore, my administration will accord agriculture utmost priority not only to make Isoko South a major contributor to the state government’s Delta Beyond Oil vision but also to create jobs for our teeming youths. To this end, we will build two farm settlements comprising poultry, fishery, and piggery, among others. Each of the settlements, which will serve as agricultural training centres, will engage more than150 people every year, bringing the total to at least 450 in three years. The beneficiaries will become professionals and employers of labour. My administration will encourage farmers’ cooperatives and facilitate their access to cheaper and quality agricultural inputs like chemicals, fertilizers, high yielding seedlings and livestock breeds among others. We will also assist our farmers to access agricultural intervention programmes of the State and Federal Governments. It is my plan to equally encourage plantation agriculture, especially in the area of arable and economic tree crop production. To this end, we will plant one million palm trees at designated locations in the local government area. Women and Youth Empowerment Women and youths constitute at least 70 per cent of our population and their involvement in the development process is important. Unless our women and youths are economically and politically empowered they cannot contribute to nation building. My administration will initiate short and long term plans to give them their pride of place in the governance process. As part of our strategies, gender equality will be our watchword. We will ensure adequate women and youth representation in organs and institutions of the local government through political appointments and encouraged participation in electoral contests. In line with our party manifesto, we will strengthen women groups and societies in the locality to be effective in engineering the process of economic and political empowerment of their members. My administration will set aside N2 million every quarter to be given as interest free loan to market women and youth groups involved in productive ventures. We will also liaise with the state Micro-Credit Programme and other development partners towards the economic empowerment of our women and youths. Sports and Social Development My administration will give sports and social development priority attention. Besides being a critical tool for social development, sport is a weapon against juvenile delinquency and youth restiveness. We will integrate sporting and cultural activities into a system of local mobilisation, education and development of our youths. It is our plan to initiate inter-school and inter-community sports competitions where our young men and women will express themselves and hone their skills. We will revive and support the Isoko United Football Club also known as Tolopia. My administration will support existing social centres such as orphanages, old people’s homes, among others that take care of orphans, the socially distressed, the aged and other less privileged members of our society. My administration will interface with NGOs with a view to increasing capacities to improve social and family values. Steps will be taken to promote and encourage societies and clubs for the physical and intellectual development of their members. Internal Revenue Generation I am not unmindful of the numerous challenges confronting the local government system, especially paucity of funds. We may not have the kind of financial resources available to the state and federal governments to construct roads, drainages and other capital intensive projects. But let us also bear in mind that no individual or institution anywhere in the world has enough resources to meet all its needs. This is where creativity comes into play in revenue generation and utilisation. If elected, we will strengthen our internal revenue generation capacity to complement the dwindling monthly federal allocations. Measures will also be in place to block all leakages in the utilisation of available funds for the provision of basic infrastructure and social services to our people. In conclusion, I am confident about my ability to lead this local government. But I also know that I can’t do it without you, as this campaign is about you. My track record shows that I can provide that leadership and that is why I am offering myself for election. I need your support. I ask you to walk this road with me, realising that no obstacle can withstand the force of a million voices calling for progress. Let’s do it; it is possible! SIR ITIAKO IKPOKPO (KSM)
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 14:26:26 +0000
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