Executive Chairman, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Walter Ozioko, speaks on the possibility of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winning the 2023 presidential elections, among other issues with LINUS ALEKE

Your party had been in opposition at the centre for over seven years now, how prepared are you to win the 2023 presidential elections?

We are very much prepared. You can see that APC is now a house that is divided against itself. They are singing discordant and different tones and PDP has continued to bond together. We all know that PDP is a party with a human face. The recent local council elections in FCT are a testament to the acceptance of PDP. FCT residents rejected APC at the poll and that explained why PDP won the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), which is considered to host even the President. Since the emergency of APC at the centre, the Northern part of the country seems like the home of APC. But the area council election in FCT further reinforced our belief that we would win the 2023 elections in a free, fair, and transparent poll.

What is your assessment of APC administration in the past seven years?

I am of the view that the PDP will do better, and we are prepared to take over. PDP has performed better than APC and we are going to do better if the electorates vote for PDP in 2023.

At the state level, which your party controls, what is your assessment of the administration in the state?

Well, PDP has done wonderfully well in Enugu State. Enugu State is an example of good governance in the entire sub-region. Can’t you see that there is peace and security in Enugu State? You can sleep in Enugu State with your two eyes close. Can’t you see that there is no kidnapping in the State? There is no attack, and there is no terrorism. Hotels are working and social gatherings are going on without interruption. Enugu State is peaceful. The Governor of Enugu State is an expert in human management. If he is allowed to govern this country, Nigeria will return to its glory.

The South-East is now a hotbed for the activities of unknown gunmen. How did we get here and what can other Governors in the zone learn from the Enugu State Governor in the area of security management?

Unfortunately, the South-East is gradually turning into a killing field, however, Enugu State has remained largely peaceful. Therefore, what other southeast Governors should learn from Enugu State Governor is human management. This is because he is an expert in human management. He is a classless man, he is a man that can flow with all manner of persons. He knows how to manage people. He understands that in life, we cannot behave the same way. But when you don’t know how to tolerate people, especially deviants, you will cause more harm as a leader. And if that happens, you will not have the opportunity to govern your people well. We have trouble followers, but when you follow them diplomatically, you will maintain peace and achieve a good result. If you want to use force on the people, most times it boomerangs. They should learn how to manage people from Governor Ugwuanyi because he is an expert in human management. If Governor Ugwuanyi is made the President of Nigeria, Boko Haram, and other security threats in the country will be a thing of the past. And he will achieve this without resorting to violence because he knows how to manage people.

Ecn, Nepa, Phcn and Discos: How Nigerians pay for darkness (4), by Mike Ozekhome

What sector of the local government would you want to give priority attention to?

As I said earlier, I will pursue vigorously, the opening up of rural roads to encourage farmers to put more effort into food production. If rural roads are linked to urban centres and local markets, the farmers would be motivated to farm more. This is because they will have access to the market where they will sell their produce and minimise post-harvest losses often occasioned by lack of access to the market, which of course results from the poor rural road network. Secondly, when you solve the problem of hunger, then you would have succeeded in solving almost 70 per cent of the problem of the rural people. Younger people would also be motivated to go into farming and the crime rate in the local government will go down drastically. Nsukka is notable for yellow peppers. It is now called “Nsukka Pepper,” across the world. The young graduate would be encouraged to go into commercial farming of such commodities instead of seeking a white-collar job that is non-existent. Most of the tractors and other vehicles in the local government were grounded when I took over, but today a greater percentage of them are now functioning. I came from a business background, and I am running the local government as a business concern. The bureaucrats are only interested in signing off the money they see in government cover, there is always a project they want to tie the money to, but I have resisted that since I came on board. Every Kobo must be spent judiciously. I went to a particular community in this local government and when I came back, I said that kind of road cannot be in my local government.

I put a mechanism in place to grade the road and as I speak with you the grading of the road is completed. Even when we have to hire a tractor to do the job. I will make sure that all the rural roads are made motor-able in the whole of the local government area. Another area I am focusing serious attention on is the security of life and property in the local government. I am always holding a meeting with the critical stakeholders in the security sector to ensure that insecurity in the local government is brought to the barest minimum. I interface with the vigilante and other stakeholders to ensure that peace continues to thrive. Nsukka local government is almost the most peaceful in the whole of Enugu North Senatorial District.

The PDP stakeholders in Enugu North Senatorial District, recently had a strategic meeting ahead of the 2023 elections, what was the outcome of that meeting?

The meeting reiterated the support of the entire Enugu North to the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. We are behind him because of his good works in the state, his kindness to humanity, and the effort he had made so far to move Enugu State to the next level.