A 2019 governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Ajia, yesterday unveiled his blueprint with a promise to focus on four cardinal programmes to better the lots of the people and restore the state to its place of pride.
He said his administration, if elected, would prioritize infrastructural development, security, education and economic empowerment as encapsulated in his strategic agenda for the state.
At the unveiling event held at the Banquet Hall of Kwara Hotels, Ilorin yesterday, Ajia, who is also the founder of Mohammed Ajia Ibrahim Foundation, identified fiscal consolidation as an indispensable ingredient in governance and assured that his government would key into it to improve the state's finances.
The gubernatorial hopeful maintained that his humble background had afforded him the opportunity to comprehensively analyse the challenges facing the less privileged in the society, promising that his coming would usher in new deal to make life better for the poor, especially women and the youth.
He informed that his administration would see to the formation of a five man implementation committee in each of 193 wards in the state with allocation of N1million on quarterly basis to resolve infrastructural and related challenges at the grassroot.
Ajia also stated that the increasing burden of women and mothers for family upkeep would be addressed with special trade, crafts and vocational entrepreneurship schemes and grants for all classes of women including workers and market women.
He similarly spoke of his administration intention to introduce health enhancing programmes to bring succour, curb mortality rate and frequency of outbreak of epidemics and other endemic diseases, especially malaria and typhoid.
Ajia said, "I wish to leave no one in doubt about where I am coming from and my passionate determination to initiate a clean break for our people, particularly youth and women to usher in a New Deal, which will make life better for the poor and brighter present and future for our youth and women, which should be the number one responsibility of government whether in budget, projects, policies, year in, year out.
"Take me for my word of honour, it is now time for the children under privilege of nobody to acquire priority attention and action of the Kwara State government so that they become somebody of now and tomorrow in the affairs of Kwara State.
"I will start the process as the son of the painter and food vendor who will open the Government House exclusive chambers and the entire known and unknown budget and other resources of Kwara State to the access, knowledge and full benefit of the majority population of fellow children of nobody and their unknown but humble, hardworking and long suffering parents. This is the very essence of voting for me as one of you.
"As for me, I have been at your service with MAI Foundation. I am now willing, ready and able to capture the entire government machinery to serve all of you better and far beyond the limitations of an NGO.
"Today, I am unveiling my strategic blueprint, comprehensive with all the relevant data to back up the policies and programmes I vow to execute as soon as you vote me into office. By so doing, I am exhibiting genuine eagerness and meticulous preparedness to deliver as pledged.
"In fact, I have raised the bar by getting set and ready to go even before I am declared a candidate, a reflection of the confidence I repose in the people, who can be rest assured that here is one of us, who knows where the shoe pinches and how to eliminate any skin pain of living".
On civil service welfare, the gubernatorial hopeful disclosed that his administration would review minimum wage from a more realistic and commensurate perspective to make civil servants more confident and willing to give their best in the state service
"The plight of our civil servants and the welfare of workers with particular attention to the prompt and regular payment and compliance with their salaries, emoluments, entitlements and career progression guidelines will be a top priority of MAI administration. The civil service is the engine room of the government and the tendency to neglect the rights of civil servants is both unfair and unacceptable.
"All pending contentious issues including promotions affecting the performance and morale of civil servants in the state will be brought up for accelerated resolution as soon as we are elected.
"The minimum wage issue will also be revisited from a more realistic and commensurate perspective to make civil servants more confident and willing to give their best in serving the state. It will be complemented with a gender inclusivity scheme that will entail provision of grants and vocational training, gender tailored skill acquisition, special scholarship scheme for the female gender and a merit driven quota system in parastatals", Ajia pledged.
