Senator Chris N.D. Anyanwu had on 20th of October 2014 declared her aspiration to run for the office of Governor of Imo State on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 2015 General Election in Nigeria.
In her speech at the public declaration in Owerri, the Senator insinuated that Imo State has fallen and needs to be recovered. To back the back that Imo needs help, She enlisted few facts to show how drastically the state has reached the guard. Mentioning that the Governor Rochas Okorocha between May 2011 and July 2014 collected #357 Billion from Abuja as the State’s share of the federation account, but what exactly the administration has done with the money is yet to be seen.
“Increased monthly statutory income has not impacted positively on the life of the people. Instead life has become harder today for the average Imo person than it was between 1999 and 2007” she cried.
She also emphasized on the fact that the free education program of Governor Rochas Okorocha has failed because the Imo State that used to lead the others in education, and topped the chart in WASC examination among Nigerian students is no more, replaced with an Imo State that has been relegated second to the last position in the South East. Stating that in the WASC exams, only 18,833 of the 46,359 Imo students that sat for the exam in 2014 passed.
The Governorship Aspirant went ahead to say that Imo State is now the biggest debtor in the South East and the second most insolent state in the nation. She said that what accrues to the state as monthly federal allocation is equal to those of two states put together. “The Governor also went ahead to borrow money from local banks and he is not letting citizens of the state know what he is doing with all the loans that he has borrowed, thus putting the future of the children in jeopardy”.
Unemployment is not left out in the facts that she stated. Senator Anyanwu mentioned that the state needs a different leadership and governance pattern, something new and fresh to fire her up.
“Imo does not need a miracle worker as governor, what she needs is a governor” Senator Chris Anyanwu affirmatively stated. She said that the state needs to install a governor who will lead by good example, one who will not lie to the people, who will not confuse them and strip them of their resources at the expense of the future of the children.
Senator Anyanwu explained that she has come to offer the best to Imo State, saying that she is not a destroyer but a builder. Although she hasn’t come to start the world anew and by that set Imo State back but to gain faction from past good efforts and lift off the state to a higher level.
Promising that her governance will restore dignity and honour, pride and respect for Imo State.
She inducted that the top priority will be to develop creative solutions to the current unemployment situation. Investing heavily in building a skilled work force that can reverse the current national dependency on migrant labour from the West Africa sub region. In the area of Agriculture, she promised that her leadership will tap into the federal initiatives to build employment through co-operative and food self sufficiency through farming.
Chris Anyanwu assured that she is running for the position because she is the best “man” for the job. Emphasizing that she is different, typical and has a winning recipe.
Although being a woman, Senator Anyanwu declared that her gender will not be an issue claiming that being a woman has never limited her to achieving things she has achieved.
“The constitution of Nigeria prohibits any form of discrimination on the basis of sex or gender and guarantees the rights of females to participate fully in politics at all levels from the age of 18. Nigeria has signed the UN Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) and ratified its principles. Are we now losing momentum on these advances made during military rule, with the drums of sexists and misogynists beating louder every day?” She questioned.
Borrowing the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, she said she will not give any the permission to make her feel inferior. She plans to run the race with everything in her!!! Saying that she believe that PDP should lead the way in promoting constitutional ideals of equality and demonstrate to the world that Nigeria as a Nation where success is not born of gender but of skill and ability.
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