The Akpakomiza Interview.

Egogonewshub.com:

Many people say you have been running away from being interviewed. How do you respond to that?

Akpakomiza:

I have been all over the State campaigning. I spoke myself.
I talked about my manifesto, and granted interviews to Pressmen. No. I am not running away from anybody.

I am actually a quiet person.
I prefer to do things rather than talking too much, or making promises that I cannot fulfill.

I understand leadership and the ability to bring people together for the common good. I have a big heart to help the underprivileged.
I was a close associate of Late Chief Anenih. Do you think if I didn’t know my “Onions,” our Late great leader would have reposed confidence in me?

When the poor have cried, on many occasions, I have responded.

God has been kind to me. My trust in Him is what influences my outlook on life in general.

Egogonewshub.com:

How would you assess your major opponent?

Akpakomiza:

I hear he is a big lawyer.
I am a good businessman.
I hear he was born with a silver spoon.

I had no spoon.

Life was hard, but life taught me that I could build my own spoon.

It is my desire to give a spoon to every child by creating a level playing ground.

Asue is an elite.

I am a grassroots community person.

I know the people and the people know me. They trust me not to betray them.

Egogonewshub.com:

Infrastructure is in very bad shape across Edo State. What are your plans to change that?

Akpakomiza:

After 8 years of Governor Obaseki fighting the Oba, fighting the political class, fighting the Federal Government, fighting market women, and pulling down homes and businesses that people have built, are we surprised that he forgot to build road networks for us?

Under my administration, there will be no Federal Roads or State roads, there will only be roads for our citizens.

If there’s a road bigger than my ability as a State Governor, I will make an appointment to see the President to eat Amala and Ewedu and Ponmo and Gbegiri with him. While we are eating, I will tell him my problem. That is better than fighting the Federal Government and putting up Sign Boards that say: “Please bear with us. This is a Federal road.”

That is how you know a troublemaker.

As our people say—“na who signboard epp?”

Egogonewshub.com:

What is your position on University funding?

Akpakomiza:

I believe 100% in University funding. Our Universities should not be like a football that will be played back and forth like Obaseki has done in the past 8 years. It is wrong. His god-son plans to do the same. We must reject their style. Obaseki has destroyed Ambrose Ali University.

This cannot stand.

Egogonewshub.com:

In 8 years of Obaseki, we’ve heard nothing about returning schools to the original owners. What are your views?

Akpakomiza:

From what I know, the government does not have the resources to take proper care of all the schools across the State.
I also know that the Edo State government has not hired enough teachers across the State. The number may be closer to zero actually. I will handover schools to their original owners, or to Old Boys Associations that have demonstrated capacity.

If they can manage them, we will give them the opportunity, and the teachers there will be reallocated.

Egogonewshub.com:

What plans do you have for Agriculture?

Akpakomiza:

I plan to launch an Aggressive Agricultural Revolution across all three Senatorial Zones to make Edo State the Bread Basket of Nigeria.

Here’s the plan.

1. There are approximately 1,416 villages in Edo State. We plan to form an Agricultural Cooperative of at least 200 people in every village on at least 2,000 acres of land. Every farmer will get 10 acres each.
2. ⁠Through these Cooperatives, they will be able to receive help with bulldozers to clear the land and tractors to till and plant. We will also create a major source of water for each cooperative.
3. ⁠The cooperatives will also be the primary channel through which they will get financial help, fertilizer, and Agricultural extension officers to help them.
4. ⁠The State will encourage the formation of an Agricultural Marketing Board through a PPP that will be responsible for purchasing produce from farmers at harvest time.
5. ⁠The Marketing Board will then add value through processing and packaging before it gets to the final consumer.
6. ⁠We plan to pick 3 products that we will specialize in—-Cassava for Edo Central; Corn for Edo South; and Tomatoes for Edo North. The plan is to make sure that not only will we attain food sufficiency in Edo State, we will also become the Agricultural Capital of Nigeria.

I plan to appoint a Food Czar to drive this project.

If we achieve only 50% of this plan, it will create over 1.5 million new jobs down the entire value chain of Agriculture from farm to factory to market and bring great prosperity to our people.

Edo people will be able to smile again after 8 years of “technocratic oppression.”
If Obaseki’s regime is what a technocratic regime looks like, the Edo people know not to get another “techno-Rat.”

Egogonewshub.com:

Security is still a problem, not only in Edo State, but also across the country. What do you plan to do about the menace?

Akpakomiza:

When the people of Esan land cried out a few years ago, I responded by donating 5 fully equipped security vehicles. I also donated millions of Naira. You are a journalist. Go and ask Obaseki’s god-son how much he donated. Ask him if he can pronounce ‘Atanakpa?’

The initiative has recorded great success. We plan to replicate this success across the State.

Egogonewshub.com:

Healthcare is still a major challenge. What are your plans?

Akpakomiza:

I intend to build and equip Primary Healthcare centers in the 192 Wards of the State.

We will also Provide Mobile Clinics. Every Local Government will have one to begin with. There are some who will need more than one—like Oredo for example. Their job will be to touch every village according to their needs.

I also plan to have cancer screening equipment in all major markets across the State.

We must rescue our women from the scourge of breast cancer. Infant mortality and maternal mortality must go down, nearer to zero.

Egogonewshub.com:

Our young people need jobs.
Many of them are unemployable because they lack the necessary skills. What are your plans?

Akpakomiza:

We must add Skills Acquisition to the curriculum from Primary School to Secondary School if we want to create a new future for our children. From Primary Three, every child must pick one day of the week to apprentice with a local business. It could be a Caterer, a Mechanic, a Hospital, a Fashion designer, an IT company, a Furniture maker, a Painter or an Electrician. By the time the child is graduating from SS3, he or she will have two certificates—one in a Skill, and the other in WAEC.

A person who has a skill will never be hungry.

Egogonewshub.com:

What is your stance about the Artifacts?

Akpakomiza:

Aiguobasimwin.

Dem no dey follow Oba struggle.

Egogonewshub.com:

The election is in a few days time. What is your final message to the people?

Akpakomiza:

Great people of Edo State, I salute you from the bottom of my heart. I thank you for the love you have given to me through all my travels across the State. I feel your pain. I appeal for you to be patient. The darkness will soon be over.

Hope is here.

Please come out on Saturday. Get your friends out of bed. Here’s your chance to build a new future in Edo State.

Be peaceful.

Follow the instructions and vote carefully and wisely.

God bless you. May God bless Edo State. May God bless Nigeria. Oba gha to kpere. Iseé

The End.