The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, concluded his US engagement tour with the Edo Diaspora Community in New York, pledging to transform the state’s economy.
During the final session of his three-part Town Hall Meeting with Edo indigenes in New York and surrounding areas, Ighodalo promised that, if elected, he and his running mate, Osarodion Ogie, would revitalize the state’s economy to alleviate poverty.
He emphasized the importance of leveraging the expertise of the Diaspora community to achieve this goal.
Ighodalo outlined his economic vision as detailed in his manifesto, “The Pathway to Prosperity for All,” and assured that significant efforts would be made to enhance the state’s economic status.
Accompanied by his wife, Mrs Ifeyinwa Ighodalo, his running mate, Ogie and others, Ighodalo declared that “Edo State is blessed with different mineral resources.
“We will harness them for the betterment of our dear State. But we need your help in various areas of expertise to move Edo State to a first-world economy,” he reassured.
He reiterated the need for quality leadership and assured the packed hall of over 300 attendees that the PDP gubernatorial team was poised to provide that quality leadership.
“With the right leadership that we will offer, Edo State can pull other neighbouring states by peer pressure to economic revolution in Nigeria.
“We will leverage on the gains by Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration in the agriculture sector to take Edo to another level.
“We will ensure our farmlands are secured with adequate security to enable our farmers to go to their farms, and this will reduce food inflation.
“By its geographical location, Edo State is a natural logistic hub with several entry and exit points. We will source for finance to build industrial parks, and this will increase our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base,” he assured.
Talking about security, Ighodalo categorized it as “very important ” as almost every other thing depends on the security of lives and property in the state and Nigeria.
“We will beef up security with modern technology to track criminals and build a synergy between our local security and other relevant security agencies to track down crime.
“We will strengthen laws to checkmate crimes and ensure that criminals are prosecuted in due time. There must be consequences for engaging in criminal activities so that it will be a deterrent to others,” he stated.
On education, Ighodalo said efforts would be made to take out-of-school children back to the classroom.
“We will ensure that our out-of-school children are taken back into classroom learning. Our curriculum will be reviewed periodically and our learning facilities to increase the gains of EdoBest.”
The Town Hall Meeting which began with a carnival-like reception for Ighodalo, featured a question and answer session. The two candidates jointly answered all the questions satisfactorily with applause at the end of each answer.
