Mr. Kalu Ijomah Ukeh, an All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial aspirant in Abia state, says restoring the glory of the state through industrialization would be his administration’s top priority if given the mandate in 2023.
Mr Ukeh, one of the aspirants on the APC platform, made the assertion in an interview with the members of Abia North Political Forum.
Excerpts:
Sir, tell us a little about your childhood?
I had a good childhood. My parents were lovely, and I was loved and wanted by them.
I was born in Aba, the commercial nerve centre of the State; though from Akanu Ohafia. I attended Green Street Primary School, Aba. Akanu Ohafia Secondary School (1981/1982), from where I returned back to Aba to complete my secondary education at Iheorji Secondary School.
I don’t remember much of the first few years. I played a lot with friends at home, but I was always the best in my class.
As a child, I wanted to be a medical doctor. A dream that never came true.
One memory I won’t forget about my childhood was the number of children in my father’s house. Members of the extended family were more in numbers. I remember my father always preaching tolerance and love to my siblings, which later became part of my lifestyle.
In conclusion, I had a memorable childhood.
Sir, You are into chemical and film production. Can you tell us the experiences you are bringing to table for good governance of our dear State?
My experiences are not limited to Chemical and Film making alone. But since you want me to talk about the experience I am bringing to table, fine!
Let me start by telling you that manufacturing and film production require labour, skills and technical know-how.
Abia is already blessed with human and natural resources. These resources are yet to be harnessed by successive governments.
My experience came as a result of education – I am a chemical industrialist. If I am bringing my experience to governance, how do I effectively bring this experience to fruition when the masses lack the basic knowledge or technical know-how to execute our vision?
Any serious government no matter the level must massively invest in youth education and development. The experience I am bringing is to invest in vocational education. This is because education equips our youths with the essential skills they need in life.
Investment in Education will provide opportunities for the youths to be meaningfully engaged instead of indulging in violence and crime.
Investment in education will provide the much-needed boost to Abia economy.
The skills acquired through learning provide our youths with more career and employment opportunities, enable them to be more effective in their jobs and compete with their counterparts in other parts of the world.
Once our youths are trained through our investment in education, I assure you that Abia will comfortably compete with China in industrial production and others.
I went into manufacturing and my company’s products are all over the country and beyond.
China is what it is today because of it ability to produce goods and services that other can buy. It was achieved through aggressive manpower training and education. It’s funny that centuries after China started production of paper and pulp, We’ve not been able to produce it till date. What we shall do is to give our youths the necessary education and skills required in manufacturing. Once that is done, we shall engage in massive industrial revolution that Late Sam Mbakwe, Eni Njoku and others would be proud of.
What do you know about the Abia Charter of Equity? Do you believe in it?
If we say let there be equity at the centre (federal), and say anybody can rule at the state level, it means we are not sincere to ourselves. At all times, I try to balance things including my sense of judgement. We cannot criticize the North for holding on to power for long and then say a different thing in the state because it favours us.
Abia Charter of Equity guarantees rotation of power among power blocs of the State.
The Charter of Equity as conceived by our founding fathers is a noble idea. The agreement is a positive mechanism to stabilise the polity of God’s own State by allowing power to rotate among the component zones. The agreement should be respected by all. Power should rotate among the three senatorial districts for peace and stability.
What do you think are your selling points if you are the candidate of APC?
My selling point is my personality as Kalu Ijomah Ukeh. A seasoned technocrat and industrialist. I am a result-oriented leader with a proven track record that can help transform our dear state.
Abians are desperate to see someone with a fresh idea; someone who is not a ‘professional politician’, someone that’s independent minded. That’s exactly where I fit in.
I am coming from a different background of Abia politics.
I have never been appointed an aide or senior adviser to anybody. Therefore, I am not indebted to anybody or ‘godfather’.
Secondly, as someone who started my own company from the scratch to international level, Abia state should expect an explosion in manufacturing activities.
What economic directions will you adopt as Governor of Abia State to put smiles on the faces of Abians?
Firstly, there is no economic direction in Abia state, even a bad one. We are going into industrialization big time.
Abia state is far richer than Cross River State when you put alot into consideration. Abia as an oil producing state earns more than them. Our internally generated revenue is far higher than theirs. But, under the Donald Duke era, he started the industrialization drive through Agrobusiness and tourism. He built cassava and pineapple farms in Obubra and Ogoja respectively. He built the Obudu cattle ranch, Tinapa, Marina resort and so many others. Ayade came in 2015 and has set up over 10 industries which include: Chicken cottage, Calavargas, Toothpick factory, Rice mill factory and others.
China is what it is today because they embraced manufacturering. So it’s a shame we can not manufacture glass in Africa while the raw materials are abundant in Abia state.
Our drive is going to be industrialization using our youth population. When you engage the youths economically, the state would be safe for investors. My administration will set create wealth through manufacturing across the councils, thereby, ending rural- urban migration. Manufacturing in all sectors as exemplified by Dee Sam Mbakwe.
If you talk about the things that are needed in the production of detergents and it’s related products, like toothpaste, mouthwash e.t.c [linear alkylbenzene], there are very much available in Nigeria. All we need to do is get a sulphunating machine after sulphoration you have what is known as linear alkylbenzene sulphate which is a major raw material for a lot of chemical end production. But for some strange reasons nobody is looking at this direction. There are more ten other products that are not produced anywhere in Africa but we can conveniently produce in Abia state. We can meet the market demand of Nigeria if produce these products in Abia state. Even some of the well produced goods in Abia state are poorly packaged. These are areas one intends to improve on.
I will invest heavily in Agriculture, Education and Health . We shall stabilise food supply in the State. In Agriculture, we shall introduce improved seedlings. Farm products shall be used as raw materials for agroindustries. If we produced tomatoes,why do we import ketchup when is only salt and few other additives and packaging we need to produce ketchup. Yet Nigeria does not produce ketchup. We import from South Africa. We shall engage in production of goods and value addition to generate more revenue and employment for our people.
What is your take on Restructuring of the Country?
We need to stop allowing ethnicity, religion and gender to drive us away from the real development because politics has stopped us from focusing on real issues. We need to create a phenomenal growth model that will work and bring about development. Development that will help Nigeria achieve the dreams of her founding fathers. If Restructuring would bring about that development and stability, I support it.
But again, is it lack of restructuring that’s stopping some governors of our region from paying salaries as at when due? Did restructuring hamper Dee Sam Mbakwe from working? We must be sincere with ourselves first before talking about it. What have we done as elected leaders to improve on the lives of our people? Charity starts from home, let’s account for all that we’ve received and see if we’ve used it to better our state.
I support the restructuring of Nigeria for peace and stability. But the underdevelopment we are seeing today is caused by successive leadership failure.
Do you really understand the nitty gritty of pa party Politics in Abia State?
I am a committed party man. I am highly progressive in all ramifications. I understand party politics even though I cannot claim to know it all.
Do you see potentials for the state in Agriculture?
Given that the Nigeria’s exports are dominated by crude oil, Nigeria’s agricultural sector provides an estimated 65% of jobs across the nation – a dynamic that is mirrored in many of the states, and Abia is no exception. Agriculture is currently the main contributor to Abia State’s economy, comprising 27% of Gross Demostic Product (GDP) and directly or indirectly employing as much as 70% of the workforce.
Representing 27% of the GDP, agriculture- which employs 70%of the state workforce- is the second economic sector of Abia. With its adequate seasonal rainfall, Abia has much arable land that produces yams, maize, potatoes, rice, cashews, plantains, taro, and cassava. Oil palm is the most important cash crop.
The agricultural sector is therefore going to be one of the key priorities of our administration.
The sector offers opportunities in a variety of segments, ranging from husbandry and fisheries to cash crops and downstream processing, but realising its potential will require significant investment to restructure and modernise the industry.
We shall engage capable hands, fund and implement research works that are wasting in our research institutes, and implement them.
We shall make Agriculture attractive to our youths and women.
If they can monitor development in their farm and on their laptops, it will make them feel modern. If young beautiful and attractive girls can be in agriculture and still remain attractive many young people will gladly go into farming.
