By CrossRiverWatch Admin
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Three-term federal lawmaker, Sen. John Owan-Enoh on Sunday declared his interest to contest for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the February 2023 general elections.
This is the second term Sen. Owan-Enoh is seeking votes for the office. The first was in 2019.
And, on Sunday, he gathered supporters at the Teacher’s Training College in Ogoja after a mass at the St. Benedict’s Cathedral to announce his plans for the State which centered on issues from leadership, to investments, job creation, building on the successes of past administrations among others.
On leadership, the former lawmaker who stressed that “Leadership in times of global and national crisis is not a tea party. It must not be left in the hands of those seeking power for its sake,” said; “The Cross River State of today is saddled with many challenges, and it would be a profound mistake to hand over the leadership of the state to someone who is not prepared in 2023. The challenges our state faces today require an experienced, tested, and trusted leader who knows and understands Cross River State and the people.”
On education, he disclosed that his administration, which will emphasize technical education and knowledge-based training, will improve “the infrastructure of our schools, equipping school libraries, and engaging in capacity building of our teachers through a train-the-trainers program, particularly at the primary and secondary levels.”
Furthermore, he promised to engage “all stakeholders” to “build a renewed culture of commitment and dedication for a dramatic turnaround within two years of the administration.”
Owan-Enoh who said he was aware of, “the staggering poverty rate of 36.29% and the unemployment rate of 71.46% in the state,” said to stem this tide on job creation, which he posited are needed to “support households, put food on the table, and have money in the pocket,” he pledged to, within the first hundred days, “introduce several quick-win programs to create immediate and sustainable jobs in different sectors across the state.”
The former lawmaker who said he wants to build a government that future generations will be proud of said his administration shall “develop an agenda with a clear direction on the sustainable use and management of our forest resources.”
To achieve that, he said a full-court press strategy will be adopted in areas such as social welfare, an IT-driven civil service, needs-based, and participatory governance, and human capacity development will be key.
“We shall galvanize our socioeconomic development measures into a single model of a bottom-up approach, incorporating each of the focal areas of our concern as a people,” he said, adding that he will focus on areas where the State has a comparative advantage.
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