Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)governorship aspirant in Abia State Mayor Lucky Igbokwe spoke with reporters in Owerri, the state capital, on his ambition, plans for the Southeast state and preparation for the primary.
I am a business man, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, the Chairman of 2Flame Entertainment firm, the CEO of Kedu Tv USA among others. I have a lot of businesses. I’m from Ohuhu in Umuahia North LGA. I’m a husband and a father of one.
How old are you?
I’m 40 years old.
Can you give more insight into your background – your childhood days and how you got to this level?
At the beginning, it was rosy till when I was about seven years old before things went bad for my parents. My mum used to go to Cotonou to buy Okrika (fairly used clothes). My dad was working as flight security. Then he decided to go into private business and things started changing in Nigerian economy. I went to public school in Lagos where I was born. I started with UNILAG, but later went to North American University where I got direct admission. I read Computer Science.
What can people identify you with in Abia State? What business do you have on ground?
I have done a lot of things in the private sector, I have a lot of staff working for me in my entertainment firm. I have my foundation with International background. We have empowered a lot of market women giving them interest free revolving loans. But revolving loan without a collateral is as good as free money. We have empowered many youths, offered scholarships to deserving and indigent students. We have built solid homes for the less privileged and many more. I give God all the glory.
How did your interest in politics begin?
I got my interest in politics through Senator Theodore Orji when he was Abia Governor. I came as a consultant on the Youth Empowerment and ever since then I have been around helping to move Abia forward through massive youth empowerment. Ochendo gave me my political exposure.
You have not held any lesser political office in the state and you want to be governor? Is it not a tall dream?
In life, whatever you want to be is a notion. So, I have always known I’m going to be a leader.
If voted into power, what should Abians be expecting from you within his first 100 days in office?
My legacy in the first 100 days in office will be to pay off all the salary arrears of workers and pension arrears so that I can have fresh air to concentrate. I can’t be building houses and roads when our our parents are going to bed hungry.
What if the fund is not available?
In business there are successful business men. Some started with huge capital and and they are failures. Some started with small capital and they are successful. Not everybody knows what to do with the seal. I will generate funds. You don’t say an institution is broke. Government is an institution. After God, it is the government. God gave the resources for the government to harness the resources.
What plans do you have for the youths?
A lot of plans. I want to engage them.
How?
We will ensure that more youths will be recognised and appreciated. We’ll revisit the farm settlements, improve and empower the youth in particular and our people in general, through agriculture and tourism. The creative industries will receive massive boost under our watch. My administration will be focused on transforming Abia into one of the leading top 3 state economies in Nigeria within four years by providing free qualitative primary to tertiary education, free digital tech upskilling for all Abia youths and investments towards reinventing Abia as a world class regional economic, commercial nerve center. We will build two solid skill acquisition centres which I will call Technical schools.
Why two, while Abia has three senatorial zones?
We have two cities- Aba and Umuahia.
Won’t Abia North feel sidelined?
In my agenda, I will build a new city in Abia North. I will develop Abia North.
Is it only through agriculture, tourism and entertainment you intend to engage the youths?
There are other things to do but if I say them out now my opponents will steal them.
What special plan do you have for women?
I will ensure that there’s gender balance to give room for our women. Again some of our mothers are getting up to the retirement age. I will create conducive environment for the businesses of those doing business to thrive and provide free health insurance for women above 55 years of age.
Do you think Abia has enough in terms of tourism?
Yes. If you check our landscape you will agree with me. Long Juju in Arochukwu, Ohafia war dance, Azumini blue River in Ukwa. We have rich culture and rich food. Tourism will be made more attractive and visitors will come to experience our beautiful cultural heritage and sites.
What is your plan for education?
Education will be one of the major objectives of my aspiration, the sector will be reformed to include not only building of schools, but also the provision of incentives to teachers.
In my manifesto I have plans of enhancing and modernising the schools. I will make sure every child in Abia benefits from education – qualitative and compulsory free education- from primary school to secondary school. Then those who did well in secondary schools will be given scholarship to the university. I will enhance and equip the Abia State University Uturu. ABSU and other tertiary institutions.
There is infrastural decay in Abia. How will you be tackling that challenge?
The deplorable state of Abia infrastructure and indeed every facet of human development index leaves much to be desired. The various administrations that have been on the saddle all along, have dissipated the very best of their abilities to no avail, yet the problems of poor infrastructure and urban decay especially with regards to the foremost Igbo commercial hub – Aba persists
Abians don’t seem to have patience anymore for any trial and error leadership come 2023. Abia is in dire need of a visionary leader as governor, a governor that will serve the people, a governor who is most ready to lay his life down for the people, a leader who has a grand vision for development, a leader who is determined and bold enough to take the right decision and not going to offer us, as usual on the altar of politics and compromise our common good just because of certain personal political interests, and in the process, take us back to square one again and the suffering, hopelessness and the shortage of critical infrastructure continues as usual. Infrastructure is one of my key interests. I will rebuild and develop infrastructure across the state. I will build good and durable acces roads. We will partner with contractors. We will spread the roads evenly across the three senatorial zones. We will give special attention to roads of greater economic importance to help us generate the fund to run the state. I will be the Governor of Abia State not Umuahia.
Aba is the economic honey-pot of Abia. What special plan do you have for Aba?
Aba will generate the fund that we will use in taking care of the state. So, we will give Aba specal attention. We will make Aba the envy of West Africa. We will need to relocate some of the markets to modernise the city. You don’t just tax them for nothing. We will build good roads in Aba, provide critical infrastructure in the city. I will revive the Enyimba hotel in Aba and build one more 5-star hotel in Aba because of investors. We will partner with a lot of foreigners on Private Public Partnership (PPP).
The high point of the grand vision for fast-tracking Abia development is the ultimate mission of jumpstarting the creation of our planned integrated seaport, manufacturing, gas and petrochemicals industrial city out of the Asa, Azumiri and Obuaku Delta Atlantic triangle as well as restoring Aba to its former glory as the regional trading and commercial nerve center of old eastern Nigeria
A lot of Abians rejoiced when the current administration came up with the Enyimba economic city project. But seven years down the line, it is still a stillborn.How would your administration pursue that proposal?
It is a nice dream. I will pursue its actualisation. What is needed is facility and I will provide it. I have told you it’s not everybody that knows what to do with the seal. Government is a security- a security to bonds. I won’t be limited.
Have you done a feasibility study to know what stalled the project and how to clear the obstacles?
Those things are captured in my manifesto, my seven-key agenda for the state.
The issue of security votes to governors has always sparked controversy with some saying it is too high. How will you be handling your security votes?
I will inject 50 percent of my security votes into workers salary payment until it is cleared.
How do you intend to build the confidence in Abia voters so that they can trust that if given the opportunity that you are seeking, you will be true to your words?
Don Lulu Foundation is a house hold name. In December, 650 people graduated from my foundation on empowerment training. Now we are trying to access money from the CBN for their establishment. A community has already donated land for farm estate and I am working to develop it. The program is for 15,000 Abians- 5,000 from each senatorial zone. They will focus on agriculture. We have already built clusters that can contain up to 20,000 chicks. They will learn poultry farming at the cluster.
I am running to change the narratives of governance in God’s own state, to usher in a new beginning, to give Abians, a government that empowers the people, includes the people, and works 100% for the people. That’s the future that we are about to step into, with my coming on board as the governor of Abia State, come 2023. Therefore my vision is to create a future, in which Abia will become the most successful twenty first century development story in Nigeria and nay black Africa. This vision will be leveraged and achieved by harnessing our huge potentials in diverse economic sectors, the unique entrepreneurial capabilities of our people and indeed our largely untapped natural resources and geographical endowments.
How concerned are you that the delegates will be looking your way at the primary considering the quality of other contestants in your party,most of who have been around the corridors of power with enormous experience and followership?
I have sacrificed so much for Abia without holding any political office. I was the one who designed the youth empowerment programe in 2013. I brought the youths closer to the former Governor. We drove the empowerment through entertainment. My foundation has done a lot for Abia: built schools ,houses for people, provided light, donated transformers, and enrolled people in my scholarship program. If I have done this much as a private individual, how much more when I control the state resources. So the delegates will certainly look my way.
Abaribe has been a senator for 16 years; the deputy Governor, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu has been in governance for almost 20 years; they should give other people chance to prove their mettle. They should make way for the youths
Some people in your party have warned that if care is not taken that PDP may lose Abia in 2023. Do you agree to this?
Yes it is possible if they don’t give the flag to the right candidate. If PDP does not give me its ticket it may lose Abia. I have good records. I am for Abians and Abians are for me.
Do you think you have the needed resources to finance this project? Who are your financers?
Yes, I have well wishers. I have people who believe in me, who know Abia is lucky to have Lucky Igbokwe. I have massive supporters.
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