A chieftain of Labour Party (LP) in Edo, Mr Monday Eboigbe says the party has perfected plans to transform the state through technology advancement, improved healthcare, education, agriculture, commerce, tourism and tight security in four years.
In an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Eboigbe, who is leading the committee of global experts, explained that they had researched thoroughly and submitted the first phase of implementable solutions to the challenges facing the state.
According to him, Edo is a gateway state with abundant natural resources but “as I speak with you today, you cannot access my state unless through Benin.”
The chieftain said that the dream was to give meaning to the life of every son and daughter of Edo by harnessing the natural resources in partnership with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to create wealth in the state.
In the area of agriculture, Eboigbe said the initiative was to create farm settlements, provided with good roads, power, internet services and housing where people can live within six months.
He said that the settlement which would spread across each of the senatorial districts in the state would be furnished with enough modern agricultural equipment to drive agribusiness in the state.
“The moment we are able to do that in the three senatorial districts, we would have succeeded in removing our youths from the streets to a meaningful business,” he said.
He said that the plan included the establishment of a micro finance bank in Edo which will give loans to entrepreneurs who in turn will provide storage and processing facilities and generate export goods from the state.
Eboigbe also said that the establishment of a University of Science and Technology with campuses in all three senatorial districts for the the development of iron, plastic, aluminum among others had been perfected.
He explained that the university would be modeled after the University of California, which is a major source of income for the state. The chieftain decried the state of public schools in the state, saying that many no longer send their children to pubic not because they are rich and can afford private schools.
According to him, over 50% of his resources go to paying fees for his children because they have to go to a good school to give to meaning. He said that the party had perfected plans to change the narrative of public schools in Edo and to up the standard.
Eboigbe said that the some primary schools would be converted to vocational and educational centres where people would learn a trade to be self sustaining while acquiring a formal education.
“It is out dream to ensure that every son and daughter in Edo does not have to wait to be employed by anybody.
“The moment you finish your vocational school, the government will ensure we provide those facilities you will need in the micro finance bank and give you some time to work and start paying; at the end of the day, the issue of unemployment will become history in this state.
“We are going to create market along the road so that people can come from other states and patronise our agriculture, to patronise products that we will be bringing out from out university of technology.
“We are going to create that type of commerce, we are going to encourage our traders, give them good market so that at the end of the day, we will make at least 35 per cent of Edo people millionaires.
“I believe in him empowerment, I do not believe in sharing money but empowerment; if you are empowered, you will not be a burden to me,” he said.
Eboigbe said that there are two kingdoms in the world, the United Kingdom and the Benin Kingdom in Edo. He said that Edo is rich in history and it will be developed into tourists sites so that people come from all works of life to see the rich history in the state.
The chieftain said that the party intends to make tourist sites, ensure good hotels spring up so that people can get where to stay when they visit the kingdom. He said that artificial intelligence is now ruling the world and that all necessary contacts are being made to ensure technology drives the state.
“We have intelligent sons and daughters in Nigeria and in Edo, imagine a young man that trick whitemen to bring money, we call them ‘yahoo yahoo’ it takes brain to convince somebody to release his money.
“If we put these young men in what I call the technological village which will created in the three senatorial districts and provide facilities for them to develop ideas of the new Edo we need, by the time they are done, you will find out that Edo will be competing with the International Community,” he said.
Eboigbe acknowledged that the most challenging problem facing the country today is insecurity. He said that there are plans to deploy technology, making compulsory installation of CVTV cameras by every landlord in every compound and on every street in the state.
He said that with three or more cameras on watch street, security of lives and property will be easily ensured. The legal practitioner said that with such technology in place, innocent persons will no longer go to jail based on circumstantial evidences as factual evidence can be easily produced.
He said that the failing healthcare system is of great are to the party and the dream was to have a functional clinic in the over 19 local government areas I’m the state. According to him, this will make healthcare accessible to our people; that hat is what we owe the people, we need to provide good health facility.
He said that one of the major challenges of governance in the country is wastage of state resources on luxury lifestyle by officials. Eboigbe said that the LP is determined to change that narrative and to set new standards for other state to emulate.
“The ideology of LP is what I am telling you; Edo people are fed up, Edo people need something new, LP is out to bring new ideas and these are the ideas am mentioning now.
“Some of us are slaves to our words, we do not say one thing in the morning and say another in the evening, we have pedigree and people know us, we have integrity.
“We must free ourselves from slavery. I am a son of a farmer, let us free ourselves, we cannot begin to sell our conscience and cry.
“Nigerians must learn a lesson, we must know that we have to deliver ourselves from the hands of the wicked.
“We must know that we have to deliver ourselves, Nigeria is rich, this is the promised land, flowing with milk and honey that God promised
“The biggest problem is our ignorance, you feel that the man stealing your money should matter, no; first thing we are going to do in Edo is letting the people know that they are bigger than what they are thinking,” he said.