The campaign of Hon. Nick Opara-Ndudu , the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) aspirant for the 2019 governorship election in Imo State, got a boost on Sunday as leading personalities from Igboland converged in Lagos to listen to him as he presented his blueprint to them in the event which was titled : An Evening With Nick Opara-Ndudu Imo Gubernatorial Aspirant , 2019.
These personalities who are top executives in the banking & finance, oil& gas, shipping, and manufacturing sectors,as well as leading politicians, civil servants, among others, gathered at the Landmark Towers Leisures Centre, Victoria Island, listened with rapt attention as Opara-Ndudu made a step-by-step presentation of his blueprint , which contain the things he will do if elected as governor of Imo State in 2019.
They noted that Imo State has been unlucky having people who do not have the experience of working in a well structured environment as governors , adding that that has impacted negatively on the socioeconomic development of the state.
They argued that as the eastern heartland ,this mistake should be be avoided by bringing in somebody who has a combination of both private and public sectors background.
A front line lawyer, and former governorship aspirant in Anambra State, Barr. Kenneth Odidika , who spoke at the occasion, said he has associated with Opara-Ndudu for over three decades described the governorship aspirant as a man who does not renege on his promises.
“He is a man of integrity, who does what he says, and of high intellectual capacity,” Odidika said ,adding : “With Nick Opara-Ndudu as Governor , Anambra will do
catch-up”.
He also described him as ” an excellent thinker and doer”.
In his presentation, Opara-Ndudu painted a gory picture of the situation in Imo State, regretting that the present leadership does not see it as something requiring serious attention and commitment.
He said that if he is given the nod by the electorate, to run the affairs of the state, Imo would be returned to its glorious past.
This, he said, would be done through proactive and workable policies that will bring about transformation of the state.
He said the situations in the state have deteriorated so badly and needed a leadership that has all that it will take to return the state to path of positive change, adding that what he wants to do, if given the mandate to steer the ship of the state are contained in his blueprint.
These include the transformation of the agricultural sector and industrialisation of the state through the creation of industrial clusters in all the senatorial zones of the state as well as creating a conducive environment that will bring about increased economic activities in the state.
Opara-Ndudu ,who is a former commissioner, said that through these policies, his government would fight the menace of unemployment by creating at least 200,000 within three years.
He said his government will embark on pension reform and clear the arrears of pension and gratuities within 12 months, engage in land reform and physical planning to empower Imo citizens through a comprehensive land reform programme aimed at ensuring that “all land assets within Imo State are covered by statutory titles.”
Opara-Ndudu also promised to address the issues of housing and environment , works and transportation, security, tourism and entertainment, free maternal care to pregnant women as well as education.
He said his training and professional skills as well as his economic acumen , political acumen and administrative acumen have positioned him as an around person, a quality , which he said, is required to turn things around in Imo State.
He said he is well prepared for the job as he has clearly outlined what he intends to do in a blueprint themed: IMO : Creating Pathways for Prosperity and Growth with Emphasis on 16 sectors.
He added that his exceptional analytical and executional abilities and exposure on how to get things done in a structured private sector setting and the public sector are among some of the experiences he will bring to bear in Imo when he is given the mandate to steer the ship of
the state.
His key milestone, when he was in public office is raising internally generated revenue(IGR) of the state to greatest height .
A consummate party man , the Imo State governorship hopeful said that issues he hasthis articulated in his blueprint are what APGA stands for, to work for the improvement of the quality of lives of the masses.
A former Minister of Internal Affairs and member of the Board of Trustees of APGA, Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho, who described the aspirant in glowing terms,
said he had listened to other governorship contenders and considered Opara-Ndudu to be the
best.
He urged members of the audience to reach out to their friends and families to ensure that the aspirant emerges as APGA candidate and governor of Imo State.
