The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the September 21st election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, on Tuesday in Benin City held a town hall meeting where he outlined the contents of his manifesto and how he would implement them declaring that it was time to move Edo State next level from where Governor Godwin Obaseki is leaving it.
The event which attracted party leaders and faithful including market women, civil society organisations, youth groups, students and others was held at the Urhokpota Hall in the state capital. Also in the town hall meeting were Ighodalo’s running mate Osarodion Ogie Esq., Executive Chairman of Oredo Local Government Area, Dr Tom Obaseki and his vice chairman, Hon Pat Ero and Pastor Ituah Ighodalo and others.
Analysing his manifesto titled “The Pathway to Prosperity for All”, Ighdalo vowed to fulfil all his promises to the people because he has a genuine love for the people of the state but challenged the people to ensure they interrogate every candidate’s antecedents to know whether he or she has done well in his past work to enable them know the right person to vote for.
On security, Ighodalo promised to make the Security Trust Fund in the state work better to take care of security matters, “We will get it right to protect the people in the area of work, farm, trade and travelling. We will also make use of the latest technology and equipment to prevent invaders into the state”.
On the wellbeing of the people, Ighodalo promised to reduce suffering and hardship among the people in the state and make life better for them, adding that it is the government’s duty to make the people live a better life with the available resources.
On education, he said the government will encourage every child to go to school and those doing well will be supported with bursary awards.
“I enjoyed bursary as a student and I promise that students under my administration will enjoy bursary, we will start the process immediately we are sworn in. We will train our people in various skills so that when the government establishes industries we will have suitable people to fill all the positions available”.
On economic growth he promised to create enough jobs to lift people out of poverty into prosperity while on infrastructure he promised to construct 2,000 kilometers of roads across the three Senatorial districts of the state in his first tenure in office
He said his administration would meet regularly with the people through town hall meetings to entrench good governance adding that “We will also support all the local government councils in the state in order to assist them to bring development to the grassroots”.
“Our environment must be made clean in order to drastically reduce flooding, erosion and other issues that may affect the environment.
“Our activities are obstructing our environment, we must use the environment for its use, whatever we take from the environment, we must replace. We will do everything to check gas flaring, erosion, and tree felling. We will work with the councils to change our wastes to energy”
Ighodalo’s running mate, Osarodion Ogie Esq. urged the people not to vote for their opponents who do not know where the government is coming from. He said “Somebody is looking for work but he does not want to talk to people. Obaseki has laid the foundation, the house you did not know how the foundation was laid, how can you build on it? Ask them, they don’t know what primary healthcare is, they don’t know what e-gov is, they don’t know what is health insurance, Obaseki has taken us to a particular level, we cannot go back from there” he said.
