The traditional ruler of Awka, Igwe Gibson Nwosu, has given his blessing to Chief Osita Chidoka, the governorship candidate of the United Progressives Party (UPP) as the state’s Nov. 18 poll.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Chidoka is one of the 37 candidates jostling for the governorship position in the upcoming Anambra governorship polls.
Nwosu prayed for Chidoka’s victory when the cndidate, alongside the leadership of his party, visited his palace on Tuesday to formally inform him of his mission to govern Anambra.
The capital city monarch said that he had known Chidoka for a long time as an intelligent and upright public servant who had excelled in his areas of endeavour.
He expressed the hope that the candidate would become his “chief tenant’’ after the polls and prayed the “gods of the land’’ to direct his footsteps in the course of working for his ambition.
“Chidoka is a great man, known by all as upright in his deeds; he transformed the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) and made Nigerians to understand that ensuring safety on the road is not a rocket science.
“He also brought innovations to the aviation sector while he served as minister; doesn’t such a man have the capacity to make Anambra work better?
“I pray that it shall be well with you and as you come to honour me as the traditional ruler of Awka, you shall be my Chief Tenant.
“You will not stumble on this your journey to Anambra Government House,’’ he said.
In his speech, Chidoka promised to make Anambra an all-inclusive development-driven state with good transport planning and technology.
The former FRSC Corps Marshal said he was at the monarch’s palace in recognition of his father figure not just in Awka but to him personally and to unveil his plans to transform the city.
He said that the UPP was not coming to alleviate poverty and insecurity but to overthrow their causes by ensuring that the state was economy friendly, systematically planned and developed.
He noted that he would deploy his experience as a Transportation expert to build an all-inclusive society which would engender all to participate in the economic life of the state.
“We decided to start this journey here because Awka is the landlord of the Government House and when I was the corps marshal, the first person I made Special Marshal was Igwe Gibson.
“You are a father to me and that is why we are here to tell you formally of our journey and seek your blessing.
“People waste a lot of man-hour on transportation because of poor transport system, my vision is to build a smart city, a city that is compact and closer to the people, they should benefit from the transformation in the field of urban development.
“What is happening is that they are celebrating the ordinary, celebrating paying salaries and security, the UPP government is not coming to alleviate poverty and insecurity, we are coming to remove the causes of poverty and insecurity,’’ he said.
Chidoka, however, decried the inability of successive governments in Anambra to develop Awka, the state capital, to a status befitting of a capital city and promised to build districts that would accommodate both the rich and the poor.
“Awka, as it is now, is not befitting for a capital city, as a Transport expert, the urban city is not well planned to make it amenable for free movement of people, goods and services.
“As a governor, if I have N15 billion to spend, I will not build flyovers , I will use it to build districts that will bring people together in modern transportation, effective pipe borne water, underground sewer and proper maintenance.
“We don’t need housing estates in Awka; Awka should be a city of integrated development that is green, clean, affordable and inclusive of the rich and the poor, not rich men living in the centre and the poor in the outskirts.
“By building an integrated city, employers will come to Anambra and site businesses, young people will come and have jobs to do because now, there is no place for them to live in,’’ he said.
Also, Chief Chekwas Okorie, the National Chairman of the Party, thanked the monarch for his blessing on the UPP and its candidate, assuring him that Chidoka would take Anambra to greater heights.
Okorie urged the traditional ruler to continue to pray and support the UPP because the candidate was carefully and overwhelmingly nominated because of his track records in education and public service. (NAN)