…Says Security, Healthcare, Education, Urbanization/Industrialization Top Agenda, If…
Youthful industrialist and former Rivers APC Guber aspirant, Hon. Tekena Iyagba has emerged as the consensus governorship candidate of Boot Party in Rivers State.
Iyagba who picked the Boot Party’s Guber flag at the Substitution Primary of the party held in Port Harcourt on Thursday, August 11, 2022, also received his Certificate of Return from the party with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fully represented.
He later addressed a press conference where he told journalists that he joined the Boot Party because of ‘our tomorrow’, adding that the future of Rivers State looked bleak as the polity had been hijacked by those he described as self-centered politicians that cared only about their political games and ambitions, and not about Rivers people.
Narrating his political journey, Iyagba said it had been one fraught with challenges.
“With my conviction and strong reasons, I almost gave up but alas, God who is totally involved in my Journey to become Governor of Rivers State had great plans for my governorship ambition as a gentleman who bought into my vision, who was then Governorship Candidate, offered to withdraw and support the project to rescue Rivers State and threw his weight as the State Chairman of Boot Party, behind this project.
“Glad to inform you that we successfully conducted a valid primary with INEC officials present on the 11th day of August, 2022 , where I emerged the consensus candidate of Boot Party”.
Hon. Iyagba thanked the Boot Party in the state, led by its Chairman, Hon. Michael Nwanze for giving him the platform which he said, with the support of Rivers people, would be used to salvage the state from the ‘circle of snail speed development’ to the urban status that was the original plan of the founding fathers.
On his key areas of focus should he emerge governor in 2023, the Okrika-born politician said top priority would be placed on security, structural empowerment, healthcare, education, industrialization and urbanization.
“If given the chance, we would reactivate C4i points at the different LGA enterances, ensure Community Policing etc.
“We would rebrand the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA ) to strictly handle empowerment of intending entrepreneurs through a transparent and fair process. We will bridge the gap the young Rivers business man experiences in accessing funds for their start ups and business boost, by standing as a surety for them in partnership with some commercial banks.
“At least, 200 entrepreneurs who will pitch their ideas unarguably to a team of Business /Financial Administrators that will man the RSSDA, will get access to funding on a yearly basis, 50 persons per quarter. The Agency will also have an office in key ministries like Agriculture and Youth and Empowerment, to handle core empowerment related issues”, he told journalists.
The Boot Party governorship candidate lamented that medical tourism was gulping much foreign exchange to the state, saying that a blue print had been developed to address the anomaly.
His words, “I intend to partner with foreign hospitals to establish at least two international specialist hospitals that will not only have people within the country diverting what they spend on medical tourism to these hospitals that would be situated within Rivers State and at considerably more affordable rates and still get same standard they get abroad”.
He said he had developed a higher education policy to aid indigent students for the benefit of both indigenes and non-indigenes resident in Rivers State.
“We will create a system where a student who gets the necessary required grades in O’level and A’level get access to educational loan throughout their university education which will be automated to be payable through BVN linking, once a beneficiary starts earning money after their university education.
“We will also create a Skills Training Centre where Rivers Youths can learn various skills with very little charges as a way to empower themselves ahead. Just in case of the possibility of not finding a white-collar job , they can have skills to fall back to .This centre which will be partially funded by Government will be ran by the private sector under a Public Private Partnership .We shall return the primary and secondary schools to model school standard where there will not be much difference between a public school student and their private schools counterparts”, he said.
