Labour Party governorship candidate in the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa, Mr Udengs Eradiri, has unveiled his People, Education, Agriculture and Power manifesto in Yenagoa.
Eradiri, 47, an engineer told newsmen at his campaign secretariat on Thursday in Yenagoa, that he was compelled to join the governorship race to reverse the gross neglect of the developmental needs of the people of Bayelsa, who earned one of the highest revenue but ranked the second poorest in the federation.
According to Eradiri, a former commissioner for youths and later environment in the state, said it was both an irony and contradiction that the development index of Bayelsa is not commensurate with its monthly revenue from the federation account.
“I am driven by the passion to transform the state of Bayelsa and make life more meaningful for the people whose level of poverty is alarming and glaring due to the neglect of governance by the political class.
“When you compare Bayelsa to Ebonyi and Gombe States created the same day and with less than 10 per cent of the monthly revenue that accrues to Bayelsa, you will be amazed and ask why Bayelsa is so backward.
“So I do not want to be part of those complaining and that is why I joined the race on the platform of Labour Party to offer my services and youthful energy in a social contract with the people in our PEAP manifesto.
“Even though I am young, I have garnered adequate experience and developed myself enough to govern and improve the living conditions of the people by efficiently deploying public funds that accrue to Bayelsa.
“I trained as a Production Engineer and have a thriving engineering services firm with over 40 staff. I have served as Commissioner in Bayelsa in addition to being a former Secretary and President of Ijaw Youths Council,” Eradiri said.
The LP candidate noted that he also served as Special Assistant on Youth Matters to the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, a position that further prepared him for the governorship.
In the PEAP manifesto, he said that following the commencement of campaigns by the timetable from the Independent National Electoral Commission, he would, in the coming days, take the programme to the people.
Eradiri pledged to provide social amenities, including healthcare and education, boost human capacity development, and prioritise infrastructure and job opportunities.
According to him, the agricultural potential of the state in fishery, rice, sugarcane, and other crops where Bayelsa has comparative advantages would be harnessed to provide raw materials for industries and processed for export.
Eradiri also promised to leverage the recent inclusion of power generation into the concurrent legislative list to use the abundant gas deposits across the state for industries and power generation, if elected.
Besides, he pledged to exploit the ongoing road construction in various communities for economic gains by encouraging businesses around the road corridor.
Eradiri expressed optimism that the youths and impoverished people of Bayelsa would embrace his manifesto and vote massively to enable him to win the election, adding that the people are sick and tired of the old ways of doing things.
According to him, the recent general election’s outcome has sent a message of hope that the power of the people can dismantle established structures.
He however urged INEC to offer a level playing ground to all political parties in the poll.
(NAN)
