Imo 2019: Unemployment will end when I become Governor —OKEY EZE

Imo has been said to have zero or little formidable structure and sustainable record to create employment for the teeming young population of the state due to dearth of investment in the critical sectors that can unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of Imo people and rev up the local economy in areas of infrastructure, power, education and industrialization.

The State governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Sir Okey Eze stated this in a chat with newsmen on Sunday in Owerri.

The ex-multinational banker decried the rate of unemployment in Imo and further stated that the State should have no business grappling with over 800,000 unemployed youths when there are so many channels of creating employment.

He disclosed that the Imo situation is owed to lack of responsible, credible and accountable governance. He assured that when elected his stewardship will arrest the situation and reverse the trend.

Ezeh, who is a Knight of the Catholic Church and also heads the Council of Patrons of the Purgatorian Society of Nigeria, revealed that his comprehensive blueprint for the rebirth of Imo State, named the Imo Marshal Plan, I-MAP, has developed policies to reactivate high-potential industries that are currently comatose in the State, which include Adapalm, Avutu Poultry, Inyishi Aluminum and Standard Shoe Industries. He said his vision is to turn them into revenue-generating businesses through joint-venture participation from private sector investors.

According to him, “Investor participation will be maximized by positioning the State Government as a reliable and consistent player in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), and as a guarantor for long-term off-take agreements.”

“The I-MAP has developed Industrial Master Plan, to identify high potential areas for industrialization and infrastructure required to realize such potentials, communicate high potential areas to prospective investors and technical partners to encourage private sector investment, and establish a New Industrial Zone in each senatorial district”, he further stated.

Ezeh also affirmed that his administration will partner with new investors for a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) power distribution network that will span the entire state, to enable the administration achieve its objective of providing affordable and reliable power to all households and businesses, including rural electrification via Mini Grid technology.

The investment expert further enthused that 2019 will bring an end to the gloomy days in Imo State and usher in a state which everyone will be proud of and urged the good people of the state to come out en masse and vote the SDP for the Rebirth of Imo.