SENATOR NKECHI J. NWAOGU, CON, WAS AT THE MAGIC FM, ABA TODAY ON THE PROGRAMME-PEOPLE AND POLITICS WITH ANASTASIA. SHE SPOKE EXTENSIVELY ON HER PLANS FOR ABIA STATE WHEN SHE BECOMES THE GOVERNOR AND ALSO ON OTHER LINGERING ISSUES IN THE STATE. HERE ARE HER EXACT WORDS DURING THE INTERVIEW: PRESENTER: There are currently 10 aspirants to the Abia State Governorship race of which you are the only woman out of the ten contestants. You must be very courageous to be in a battle like this regarded as a man’s affair. SENATOR NKECHI NWAOGU: I am a two time Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The first time I wanted to contest in the Senate, I was told that it was not for women. But I contested two times and won. Coming into the governorship race of Abia, I know it is not easy; it is a tough battle but nothing good comes easy. I have gone through tough political roads before, I have gone through tough activities in my life and I came out successful. I have been moulded to bring home to Abia State, the experience I have gathered over the years at the National lever. My gender is not a deterrent, rather it should an advantage I should be judged based on my qualifications and on things I am known for. I have been educated like any other man; I have been exposed experience wise like any other man. This is the right and best time to encourage and have a woman like me to be the Governor of Abia State. I have the experience it takes to become the Governor of Abia State. I introduced the Asset Management law which has salvaged and rescued the banking industry; the law that has restored confidence in Nigeria’s banking industry. If I could do that for the entire Nigerian, is it 184 wards and 17 Local Government Areas that Nkechi Nwaogu cannot efficiently and effectively handle for the good of our dear State. Yes, I can. Yes, we can. ON PDP ZONING: PRESENTER: I know that you are an Ngwa woman. But your party, PDP, has zoned the Governorship seat to Abia South; you are not from Abia South but you are contesting. What is your take on this? SENATOR NKECHI NWAOGU: Never a time in the history of Abia State have we had a Governor emerge as a result of Zoning. Even the present Governor and previous Governors did not emerge as a result of zoning. A time when people decide to change the goal post at the middle of the game is very dubious and worrisome. What people should be looking at is who does the cap fit; who can redeem Abia, who can improve Aba. Who has the knowledge and experience to bring to bear to the citizens of Abia State. Agreed that we the Ukwa Ngwa people where I come from, where I am born and married; we have never tested Governorship position and that is why our good people said that for the interest of justice and equity, Ukwa Ngwa people should be allowed to produce the next Governor. Ukwa Ngwa has nine Local Government Areas. Why the purported exclusion of Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South and Osisioma Ngwa? These 3 LGA’s have never produced even a Deputy Governor, while our people in Abia South have provided Deputy Governors 7 times, out of 9. I think the nine LGA’s of Ukwa Ngwa or old Aba division- we have always been one indivisible people. We have no division of North, East or south. Those who are canvassing for Abia South are mischievous, they are creating political dichotomy, they are bringing in what I call divide and rule amongst our people. Besides, Isiala Ngwa people are the first sons of Ngwa, if you must now talk about zoning, you must start from the eldest. You should start from where Ngwa originated from. But it appears they are doing it for a purpose, may be for a weakling to emerge as Governor- so that Abia State will continue to be plunged into weak governance. what Abians need is not just an emergence of an Ngwa person, which is justified since we have never tasted governorship position-but it should be an open race where somebody like me and every other Ngwa person will contest. But because they know I will beat them-they are afraid of me that is why they are pushing this Abia South agenda. When the present Governor proclaimed that he will hand over to Ukwa Ngwa, he did not say Abia South. When he went to Abia State Polytechnic sometime this year, he said Ukwa Ngwa people, he did not say Abia South. Even along the major express roads, you see Abia professionals and other prominent Ngwa groups thanking the Governor for his desire to hand over to Ukwa Ngwa. Ukwa Ngwa, not Abia South. So how come that people are now talking about Abia South; who is in the other side of Ngwa that they are afraid of, is it not Nkechi Nwaogu? Why are they afraid of me? If you have what it takes to run for Governorship, make it an open race. I am challenging both my party and the system that they should provide a free and fair playing ground and see what God will do. Abia people need a quality incoming Governor like me. But God knows I am not boasting. Abia needs an experienced person, somebody who has the capacity and ability to govern well. Somebody who has been tried and tested in various political arenas is needed to come and salvage Abia State. I am the only woman out of 10 contestants and you want to short change me. Even the congress –the constituted congress members from our National party is skewed to favour a particular person. I am calling all Abia people to resist any imposition on them, to resist anybody who has come to encourage the emergence of a mediocre candidate. Abia needs to choose their best candidate to govern them. ON THE PETITION BY THE ABIA STATE SENATORS CAUCUS: We observed with dismay, the kind of highhandedness of the system in Abia State. How can it be that these three senators have never been invited as fellow stakeholders in Abia polity. We observed that there was a state congress that was established by the party, using a formula that is unknown to the guidelines for the primary election of our great party PDP. No sections that allowed a serving deputy chief of staff to the Government of Abia State to be the chairman of a state congress committee. Also other people that are known to be Director Generals of governorship aspirants in the State are members of the committee. It is wrong to allow such a committee to be established because it will not allow Abians to choose the delegates that will eventually choose the candidates for the Party. We cannot afford to leave Abia the way it is for another 8 years; that will be suicidal. Why must Abians succumb to another God fatherism? Abians should be weary; they should shine their eyes and they should resist any attempt to rob them of their right to chose. We cannot sacrifice quality on the altar of mediocrity because somebody wants something to be protected for him. WHAT I HAVE DONE FOR ABIA PEOPLE AS A SENATOR I established cooperative societies for women in the six Local Government Areas in Abia Central. It is on record that I attracted an entrepreneurial faculty worth half a billion at the University of Agriculture, Umudike. If you go CGSS, Umumgasi, you will see an edifice attracted by your senator, Nkechi Nwaogu. If you go the six Local Government Areas in Abia Central, you will see UBE Schools attracted by me. It is on record that I have attracted over 80 transformers to communities in the six LGA’s under my constituency. If you go to Umuawa Anaocha in Umuahia north LGA, you will see a 1.2 Km road being constructed, it is attracted by your Senator, Nkechi Nwaogiu. If you go to Isiala Ngwa South, you will see a 15Km old DEFRRI road, being rehabilitated. It is attracted by me. If you go to Ariara in ward 2, Amaitolu, Osisoma Ngwa, you will a health centre there attracted by Senator Nkechi Nwaogu. If you go to Umugaa, you will see a health centre, rural electrification projects, street lights all attracted by me. If you go to Umuahia South at Eze Uwana Odo’s place, you will see a big school attracted by me. If you go to Amizi, Ikwuano LGA, you will electric poles attracted by me. If you go to Umuajata in Umuahia South, you will see class room blocks attracted by me. If you go to Umuocha in Isiala ngwa North, you will see a stand alone bore hole attracted by me. It is on record that I have trained and equipped over 350 youths on skill acquisition. It is also on record that I have given scholarship assistance to over 250 undergraduates from Abia State. Their names and their schools are all documented in the Ugonwanyi Magazine and also on my website; senatornkechinwaogu. I am not a parochial senator; I have well attended to all the LGA’s in my constituency. What I give to Local Govt A is what I give to Local Govt B. These are some of my achievements and they are a lot more of them. ON THE POOR STATE OF ABA: I am a banker; I am a financial engineer. I have over 20 years experience in the banking sector. I served as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking for four years. I can transform Aba. They are 28 major roads that crisscrossed Aba beginning from jubilee road, Ehi road, school road and so on and none of them is more than 3 Kilo metres. So I do not see it as an insurmountable thing to do. I am assuring you that the first nine months as the Governor, these roads will be attended to. I will collaborate with the Federal Government, I will appeal to the President, if it means crying , I will cry to him and tell him that we need a linkage road between Ikot-Ekpene and Aba. Once we have it and also the Ohafia –Arochukwu road done, I will lobby and collaborate with my fellow Governors to have the Enugu Port Harcourt road. That road crosses the five South Eastern states. We need to do that so that Aba will regain its Economic and Commercial importance. I have been a member of the Appropriation committee of the National Assembly for 12 years, I will be able to lobby and get these projects into the National budgets. I will put an end to the sufferings of Aba residents. As I was coming to this station, I spent over 45 minutes for a journey less than 5 minutes because of bad roads. Once we are able to link up the Ikot-Ekpene –Aba road, to open up the two States that will be coming to do business in the five major markets in Aba-that is the Ariara Market, the Old market , New market, Cemetery road market and the shopping centre market. We will be able to revive them. I will discuss with the stakeholders in these markets to know the areas we can assist to boost the markets. INDUSTRIES IN ABA; Aba textile mill can absorb up to 8,000 of our sons and daughters, but it has remained moribund in the last 15 years. As a technocrat and financial engineer, I will assist those who acquired it to get cheap funds for the revival of the industries, using my banking experience. I know that the Federal Government, through the CBN has a textile fund, but people who do not know will be Governors for 8 years and will be telling you stories. A place like Abia Palm, Umuahia Golden Guinea Brewery, the Ceramic Industries Umuahia, the Bende rubber, the Okwe Golden Chicken, etc. I will help the owners to revive those businesses because I have the experience, Exposure and the contacts. I am saying that Nkechi Nwaogu, by the special Grace of God, has the magic wand and God is with me. I know that a woman has never been elected a Governor before but Nigeria is about to make a history and using me as the point of contact. RESTORATION OF ABIA STATE: I will be coming for the restoration of the lost hope in Abia State. A lot of our people have lost hope that no good can come out of Abia State. But I am saying to you, do not be downcast. Give me nine months and you will see what will happen in Aba. There must be linkage roads in Aba. Do you know that out of every 10 Abians, 7 of them are into private businesses? So what we need to do is to bring government policies that will assist them to thrive so they can employ more people. Employment by the private sector will create the real wealth we need in Abia State. GOVERNORSHIP AMBITION I ran for the Governorship in 1998 under the UNCP, I ran again under APP in 1999. This is my 3rd attempt. We should not allow them to rub Abians of the opportunity they have to smile again. I have crisscrossed the 17 Local Government Areas in Abia State, I know what they require and what is needed to salvage the ailing economic situation of our State. Abians, don’t sit down, don’t be passive and allow some people to rub Abians of an opportunity to have a Governor that can restore Abia State. A Governor you can work with. I am a mother, a mother knows how to manage the domestic front; the same way mothers are built to have resilience, to know how to accommodate everybody. So will I serve Abians. I will serve my people with the fear of God. I will show the world that God is still after Abia as God’s own State. Abians should resist any impositions. We have seen how God-fatherism has failed in Abia State and other States in Nigeria. If somebody puts somebody there as a Governor, will the person be accountable to Abians? The answer is No. Let Abians chose whom they want so that the Governor will be accountable to Abians not to a particular family or person. We need to be salvaged. This is the time Abians need real liberation, real freedom, real transformation and real Restoration of our economic values. Before Aba ranked 4th in Commercial value, today Aba is rankles because the markets are inaccessible. What we need is not somebody who will be waiting for money from Abuja on every 28th day of the month. It will never be enough. The price of crude oil has fallen; GAS RESOURCES IN ABIA STATE As chairman Senate Committee on Gas, I know that Abia is blessed with so much Gas deposit, but its not being tapped because the Federal Government has other pressing needs. Abia ranks 3rd in Gas volume. As Chairman on Gas, I will be able to attract investors on Gas especially places like Ukwa East and Ukwa West, where they are plenty of Gas. I will bring investors to establish Gas processing plants. These are areas that will create the real jobs and real wealth that Abia needs. LAST WORDS FOR ABIA PEOPLE This is the time to choose your Governor yourself. If they say the Governorship position is for Ngwa people, they should allow us to go to the field and contest. Open your eyes, let God guide you all in your thoughts and decisions. Do not put somebody that will come and complain after 4 years that his God-father did not allow him work. Abians, shine your eyes.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 21:05:02 +0000
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