The governorship candidate of the Accord in Rivers State, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, on Tuesday, unveiled what he calls a “robust plan to make Rivers State one of the largest economies in Africa within the next two decades”.
Mr Lulu-Briggs vowed to increase Rivers’ Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the present N9 billion to N25 billion a month in four years.
The manifesto, titled “Prosperity For All – My Binding Covenant,” was unveiled before a Pan Rivers Town Hall Meeting. It contained Mr Lulu-Briggs’ agenda for each of the 23 local government areas in the state.
Mr Lulu-Briggs said Rivers State was created to offer prosperity for her people, but that unfortunately “98% of our people have been left behind”.
“We need a government to create a level playing field, a refreshing new direction, a period of peace, prosperity and progress.
“I have offered myself to serve as the governor of Rivers; there is work to be done and we in the Accord are concerned, we want to make a difference.”
Mr Lulu-Briggs said his vision for Rivers matches with that of its founding fathers, which is to make the state the economic hub of the Niger Delta region and the rest of Nigeria, a developed and innovative state, and a continental destination for business and tourism.
“I come to you with a deep sense of patriotism and commitment, a true understanding of the wishes and aspirations of the people of our state. Our people crave a stable and caring government, a government of integrity, dignity, and serenity; a government of honour, candour and valour.
“I am determined to creatively address the high rate of unemployment of 42% and the poverty index of 24% in the state; the economy would witness a quick recovery and replace unemployment and poverty with good jobs and social property.”
‘How I’ll make it happen’
The candidate explained how he intended to actualise such a vision for the state.
“I aim to expand IGR from the current N9 billion to about N25 billion monthly by the end of the first term in office. My mission is to restore prosperity to all in Rivers by laying the foundation for an exponential increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), from its current annual value of $ 20 billion to about $ 350 billion in 12 to 15 years.
“I have set out the 23 local government-specific mini-development plans, which will deliver accelerated growth and development to every council in the state. There will be specialised industrial clusters in all local governments, producing along various value chains for local and export markets.
“The government that I shall lead will have zero tolerance for insecurity. My multiple strategies for securing the state shall include the creation of a public/private sector-driven Security Trust Fund; I shall also ensure increased investment in intelligence-gathering technology and intensification of collaboration with state security institutions and neighbouring/congruent states in a project to be named Rivers Watch.”
Tourism, education
Mr Lulu-Briggs promised to invest heavily in tourism to connect all parts of the state to the Atlantic Ocean and harness culture. He also promised to improve the educational system to give children access to the best education, while attracting students from parts of the country and the world to the schools in Rivers.
“The wealth of Rivers State is covered in the underdevelopment of Andoni and other local government areas. We can make huge revenue from tourism in Andoni and other areas. We only need to come together and work assiduously towards achieving our dreams.
“This whole vision can only happen in a safe and secure state. Therefore, my first priority is to ensure excellent security levels in Rivers before the end of 2023 and to boost global investor and tourist confidence in the safety and boundless business potential in the state.
“The economic destiny of Rivers State is to bring prosperity to the people of the state first and, by extension, to the whole of Eastern Nigeria from the South-South of Nigeria (Delta and Bayelsa states), through eastern Nigeria and all the way to Borno State in the north-east.
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“This is akin to the role of Lagos in bringing prosperity to Western Nigeria, but the historic motive for the creation of our State seems to have been lost to previous administrations of Rivers State’s plan to realise our untapped fortune by making Rivers State the economic hub of Eastern Nigeria,” he stressed.
Speaking at the event, the National Chairman of Accord, Mohammed Lawal, described Mr Lulu-Briggs as a man of his word, saying he possessed the qualities to become the country’s president someday.
He urged Rivers people to elect Mr Lulu-Briggs, to “experience prosperity in the state”, saying the candidate had impacted positively on the lives of the people.
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