Mr. Okey Ezeh, a front line governorship aspirant in Imo State on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has taken a swipe at the incumbent administration in the state over what he described as “destruction of the environment under the guise of urban renewal”. Speaking at the first Orlu Zonal Town Hall Meeting organized by the Okey Ezeh Foundation in Amaifeke-Orlu on Wednesday, the investment expert regretted that the landscape of the state is increasingly debased by erosion while the waterways are randomly polluted.
He assured that: “Under my watch, Imo shall establish Forest Reserves and re-introduce Forest Guards to control logging and tree felling activities. Urban renewal will be redefined from the current concrete jungle mindset to the more environmentally-friendly, tree-lined boulevard concept, more aesthetically pleasing and far less expensive. Imagine how much the current administration has spent in literally roofing streets in Owerri with concrete beams and overhead iron projectiles. When accidents occur you can be sure of higher fatality rates. Compare these with simply maintaining beautifully manicured, tree-lined boulevards!”
Mr. Ezeh added that what holds sway all over the world is knowledge economy. He said Imo people have suffered a lot, and that anybody who wants to govern Imo in 2019 must be somebody with a clear blueprint to change the circumstance. The accomplished banker lamented that the population of unemployed young people in Imo State is larger than the entire human population of Barbados and Malta put together, and expressed optimism that Imo has people with the brain power to turn the tide and create a prosperous state for everyone.
He went further to identify some of the economic potentials of the state, among which is the white clay deposits in Umuna-Okigwe, which he promised that his administration will explore for the manufacture of ceramics. He also assured that the gas being currently flared in the state, which he maintained can provide stable power to the country, will be harnessed through Public-Private Partnerships for the establishment of independent power plants to provide uninterrupted electricity to the state. He enjoined Imo people to always elect tested, experienced and competent technocrats to lead, even as he averred that the reverse has bred the mediocrity that Imo now has in government.
