Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2024 governorship election in Edo State, has stated that his emergence in the race for the State Government House gives him the chance to reiterate his commitment to the state and what is needed to steer the state “away from the direction of parlousness, insincere governance and rudderlessness.”
He made the statement on Wednesday while formally declarating his intention to contest the governorship election on the APC platform.
Pastor Ize-Iyamu asserted that “for over seven years, Edo people have had to endure governance by propaganda and falsehoods, and the use of government institutions for the purpose of personal vendetta and the oppression of her citizens.
“The Edo State Government have denied the people the best practice approach to continuous growth because it lacked a comprehensive, realizable and sustainable plan that encompasses the improvement of infrastructure, health, education, human resource development, job creation, industrialization, agriculture, security and the refinement of municipal services such as the provision of clean, portable water and electricity.
“Despite the receipt of colossal revenue, the state remains terribly underdeveloped and with the government enmeshed in brazen corruption and larceny. A classic example of this government’s ineptitude, is the perennial flooding that has ravaged most part of Edo as a result of scant road maintenance, and a deliberate decision to abandon the Benin storm water project, started by the administration of Comrade Adams Aliu Oshiomhole. What has happened in reality is that Edo State Government has performed abysmally in every sector of Edo’s Economy.
“Amongst others, in agriculture, it has ceased vast farmlands from indigenes and handed same to foreigners, in education it has shut down more schools than any other government in Nigeria, it is unarguably the most renowned for land grabbing in the state’s history, even as its ease of doing business has collapsed. It is a pity that the technocratic Governor who arrogantly boast of his economic prowess have not been able to move our state forward.
“We cannot continue this way if we are to safeguard the future of our children and generations of Edos yet unborn. What we require is a new, competent and purposeful leadership that can cultivate the right collaborations, formulate appropriate policies, and create the necessary frameworks that are not only people oriented, but also doable amidst limited resources. We need a government that is led by one from amongst the people and this is why I am presenting myself.
“I believe that the primary purpose of government is the pursuance of happiness for the greater number of people in the society. The government of Edo State under my leadership will strive to meet this purpose at all times. We shall serve the needs of our people efficiently, effectively and fairly through empathetic governance that is geared towards solving social problems because I have the requisite know-how to do this. I will run a government that is truly of the people, for the people and by the people. I am out to stop the state’s drift into anomie and hopelessness; to give hope and succour to our people and to give their government a human face.”
According to him, “for Edo to be uplifted, for Edo to witness the much yearned for renaissance, we must fight for freedom from political tyranny, reckless misuse of our scarce communal resources, rapid and unsustainable accumulation of domestic and external debts.
“We must be prepared to deliver the kind of change that Edo people desire, one that isn’t based on empty sloganeering, propaganda and deceit; one that is real, verifiable, purposeful and sustainable.”
Going further, he submitted that having served the state as Chief of Staff to the Governor and later Secretary to the State Government from 1999 to 2007 he possess an insight into the workings of government.
“With my unrivalled understanding of the issues comes the passion, the capacity, and the needed dexterity to effect the life-enhancing change that Edo people desire. As a guide, I came out with a robust blueprint to launch the state on the path to sustainable prosperity and holistic development.
“The SIMPLE Agenda, born out of intense research and consultation offers measurable commitments that would be implemented with passion, single-mindedness, incisive competence and experience.”
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