An All Progressives Congress, APC, stalwart, Mr Terlumun Ikya has joined the Benue state governorship race with a promise to expand the existing earning opportunities for the youths, women, the unemployed and underemployment in the state.
Mr Ikya who made his intention known weekend in Makurdi while unveiling his blueprint for the state before his supporters and party officials titled, “The Benue Recovery Plan, A Different Approach” said it was time for the people to look inward at homegrown solutions to their challenges.
He listed economic diversification, critical infrastructure projects (upgrade, repair and maintenance) institutional reforms, healthcare delivery, rural development, security, law and justice, social welfare as well as youth and women development as areas that would enjoy priority attention of his administration if elected.
The aspirant who is the son of the late Gen. Stephen Ikya said, “like many Nigerians, l believe we are at a critical period in our country’s economic development.
“Therefore, we must take important, deliberate and decisive actions to raise the basic quality and standards of living for our dear people of Benue by expanding existing earning opportunities for the youth, women, unemployed and underemployed.
“It is not news that the days are getting tougher and survival is almost impossible for many families especially, our agrarian people that depend heavily on the land to support themselves.
“Despite these hardships, with the help of Almighty God, our people have persevered but, we cannot rely on prayer alone. We must act now to preserve and build on the foundational work of our forefathers as well as our past and present leaders.
“To key into the global marketplace, we must rededicate ourselves and look inwardly at homegrown solutions and welcome different ideas, different ways of doing the things we are already doing, farming, entrepreneurship, and infrastructure development to mention a few.
“Beyond our thinking, we must find meaningful ways to engage women, the youth, unemployed and underemployed by creating educational pathways to feed into an industrialized Benue State by emphasizing Technical Education and introducing Information Technology to our classrooms.
“We will rigorously re-train our experienced teachers, encourage more young people to develop vocational skills through a certification process, introduce cottage industries to process our natural resources that will eliminate waste and expand value chains across all industries within the State.”
