Dino Melaye, governorship candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi, says the state would witness a new era if
elected as the governor.
Melaye spoke in Abuja, on Friday when he received the report
of the party’s policy drafting committee for the Kogi governorship election.
He said if elected as the state governor, he would reform
the Kogi civil service, improve infrastructure and create an Independent Kogi
Economic Development Commission.
Melaye also promised to pay full salary to workers, create
four new districts and increase the state’s internally generated revenue
without a tax burden on the poor.
He said if elected, he would use the monthly federal
allocation for payment of civil salaries, pension, gratuities, promotion,
training and retraining, while internally revenue would be used for
developmental projects.
“The civil service in Kogi state will be reformed and we will
pay salaries on the 25th of every month. We will also pay full salary,” Melaye
said.
“Today in Kogi, there is no middle class. It is only the
rich and the poor. Those in government are getting richer and the poor are
getting poorer.
“We are going to raise the revenue without taxing the poor.”
The PDP candidate promised to grant local governments
financial autonomy.
“Ten years ago, local government areas in Kogi state were
doing projects, rural roads. Today, no local government in Kogi can dig a
well,” he said.
“Local government has no vehicles, salaries are not paid,
some local government secretariats are under lock and key. But we are saying
that a new day is coming.”
Melaye promised to harness and commercialise mineral
resources in the state, saying Kogi is “too blessed to be poor”.
“I brought people from outside Nigeria who did a scientific
research and gave me the mineral resources in Kogi. We have 52 mineral
resources but only one has been tapped – limestone,” he said.
“The rest are just there; we have uranium. We have the
largest deposit of Uranium in Nigeria.”
Melaye also commended the drafting committee for “doing a
good job”.
“No other party is talking about policy document apart from
the PDP. I have looked at this document, I have read it, it is not only robust,
but a solution book and prayer answered,” he said.
Also speaking, Sam Amadi, the committee chairman, said the
policy document contain recommendations that would transform Kogi, if
implemented.
He said the document covers several sectors including
education, agriculture, local government administration, technology,
communications, tourism in line with Melaye’s vision for the state.
“The committee recommended that there must be an Independent
Kogi Economic Development Commission,” Amadi said.
“When Melaye becomes
the governor, we are insisting that the people that will constitute that committee
should be above board and should have influence on the activities of the
governor.
“The commission should be independent; it should have people
with pedigree, integrity, so that when he is going wrong, they will bring him
back.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com