One of the governorship aspirants in the 2023 governorship election in Akwa Ibom State, James Iniama, has warned the indigenes of the state never to mortgage their future with money, as he called for voter education.
Iniama who gave the warning during an interaction with newsmen in his Ewet Housing residence in Uyo, on Tuesday said that politics premised on money was nothing but a business with a financier.
He explained that his intention torun for the office of the governor was to ensure the people of Akwa Ibom state have a brighter future which the state was meant to be.
The aspirant promised that if elected as the next governor, he will look critically into human capital development which is still lacking in the state.
He said, “There should be voter education across the country. Electorates should understand that a politician coming to shower them with money in an election is bargaining for the elective position and after the transaction you end up seeing no improvement in governance.
“My priority is to engage in human capital development. We will develop entrepreneurship. It will interest you to know that right from time, Akwa Ibom was not a civil service but a business driven state.”
On the issue of urban-rural migration, Iniama ,who is an estate valuers assured that his government would initiate an infrastructural road map where emphasis would be on rural development to decongest urban areas.
He said that the much talk about issue of anointed candidate can not become a distraction to him, adding that he remains resilient and focused on his course till the Independent National Electoral Commission release timetable for the election.
Iniama said, “I am focused on the conviction I have and my conviction is to aspire to become the Governor of Akwa Ibom State. We are looking forward to the party primaries when INEC will announce the time-table. So for the time being, I am staying focused and deaf to distractions.
“I am aspiring to meet the needs of approximately 8 million Akwa Ibom people. So, I bring to the table issues that I know.”
Iniama further pledged to make good agricultural policies that will help farmers to boost food sufficiency, stressing that he will move the state from subsistence to commercial agriculture through mechanised farming.