Governorship candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Dr. Abdulmumin Ajia, has said that his government will start a light rail transportation system in the state to ease emerging transportation challenges among operators.
Speaking with journalists on arrival in Ilorin on Friday, Ajia said that the mark of good leadership is to translate concerns and yearnings of the people to tangible practical solutions that would make meaning in the socioeconomic lives of the people.
The governorship candidate, who said that there are policies that could make people self-sufficient, added that the rail system would ultimately phase out the commercial motorcycle (Okada) business and make operators transition to better socioeconomic levels.
“It’s like moving Okada riders, operating in difficult terrain, to a light rail system. It can start from Ilorin International Airport to the Post Office area. Those people can transition to a more comfortable job and no longer under the sun and rain, and they have dignity of work”.
The NDC governorship candidate urged the electorate to ask the three leading governorship candidates, including himself, for the ideas to move Kwara State forward, to confirm their choice of a right governorship candidate.
“It’s not about who is coming from where. It’s about who’s going to be the governor, and who’s going to do the job. Between the two others, one who’s in government and the other proposing, what are the ideas?
“There is a lot of dependence going on. I don’t want our people to be dependent. We want policies that would make our people self-sufficient, ” he said.
Mark of good leadership is to translate concerns and yearnings of the people to tangible, practical things that would make meaning in the lives of the people.
He urged Kwara people to leave the past behind them and embrace need ideas, saying, “We live in the 21st century with immense technology. Let’s harness the technology and move the state forward”.
Ajia said that his goal is to move Kwara people from a survival lifestyle, or subsistence levels to millionaires through higher industrial productivity with the assistance of responsive and responsible government.
“Under our Forward Kwara Agenda (Itesiwaju Kwara), we plan to have Garri produced in Osi, Ekiti local government on every Nigerian tables, and West Africa, thus, creating jobs for many people and turning them into millionaires. So, is the plan to create an industry around potato that is produced among the Ibolo. We then have potato flakes, pounded potato, as healthier food for people. Here in Ilorin, we will scale Aso Oke industry and make it comes to mainstream, thus, turning people in subsistence levels to millionaires. We’ll also partner with fishermen in Kwara North axis and make fish available and affordable among the people.
When asked for his opinion if he would join the G15 group of the ruling APC when approached, Ajia said that, “If their vision for Kwara aligns with mine in terms of moving Kwara forward. Reports of their engagement does not represent moving forward to me.
“My vision for Kwara is different from that of the APC G15 group. As a political leader in Kwara, we’re in talks with several groups. We can’t use ideas of the past for 21st-century youth, who are very smart, technically and technology-savvy. I enjoin Kwara to join me in moving forward, as there’s no need to go back again”.
