The Action Alliance (AA), senatorial candidate for Owerri Zone of Imo State, Mr Anthony Chyma, has said the party has all it takes to reduce poverty to the barest level in Imo State, if elected in the 2019 general elections.
Mr Chyma who made this known while fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja said, poverty can not be completely eradicated from the society, but he would work hard to minimise it through inclusive economic growth and job creation for the youths.
The candidate who is vying the senatorial seat in the state said he is going to the Senate with brand new ideas that will eradicate poverty, sponsor people oriented bills that will affect lives not just Imo State but in Nigeria.
He lamented over the high unemployment figure in the country, adding that huge number of graduates come into the labour market every year without jobs.
He also promised that the party will put in place policies targeted at empowering women and youths to tackle poverty, as well as establish a sustainable financial system that would address unemployment.
“A lot of crimes happening in the country today is based on poverty because most people lack access to education and other necessities of life.
“If elected, I will collaborate with Imo State government to get this working, get people to start business and lease money for business. Already we have free education in the state which started with governor Rochas Okorocha’s administration. If we have that, the people will have jobs to hold onto,” he said.
“I will initiate people oriented bills that will touch education, hospital, and access loans and pay back after graduation and after they start working.
“Get people to start business, lease money. I will collaborate with Imo govt to get this working. There will be industries in the state. If we have that, the people will have jobs.”
On the chances of winning the state, he stressed that the party has all it takes to win, adding that they will ensure good representation, poverty alleviation and good economic policy for the development of the economy.
On the recent comments by the national chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, at a political rally in Owerri, the senatorial candidate said, “If you are castigating the sitting governor who has been in office for eight years, how will Imo people believe that the next person you are bringing will do better than this one.
“You should have left to the people the issue of working or not working to judge. Governor Okoracha has done so much for the state.
“Imo State is better than most states in Nigeria. The problem with him is that he brought his son in law.
“They should have judged his son in law, Uche Nwosu, the governorship candidate of the AA, based on his personal character.
“The few of the candidates available are not what Imo people are looking for.
“These are people that will start whatever they are looking for afresh, being a young man in government he will continue and write the wrongs.”
He stated that the problem with the APC is lack of planning and strategy and it reduces the chances of party in winning in Imo State.
“Oshiomhole should have reconciled the agrieved members of the party. The governor is a human being, sit with him one on one, and show him the way out of the crisis, instead of castigating him, if Okoracha is not a God fearing man, Imo youths would have dealt with Oshiomhole because you cannot go to another person’s state and say all that. From what I heard, the youth wanted to stop him but Okoracha said no.
“Some of us who joined AA are agrieved members of other parties, I was rubbed off my own ticket in the All Progressives Congress (APC), and I got mine in AA, we are fighting one cause to deliver Imo State, if you look at the House of Assembly today, 20 of the Assembly Members from other parties are in AA, we have 100 per cent chance of winning the state,” Chyma said.
