BY RAYMOND OZOJI, Awka
The State Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra, Barr. Ifeatu Obi-Okoye has advised politicians waiting for appointments to key into Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo's new vision of building millionaires through the One Youth Two Skills Development Initiative.
Obi-Okoye who stated this while x-raying the achievements of the party under his headship in the last one year, noted that Governor Soludo has come up with a new attitude of teaching the citizenry how to fish rather than giving them fish and subjecting them to the proverbial Oliver Twist.
He told this journalist that about 3000 people were appointed Executive Assistants, Special Assistants, Senior Special Assistants and a host of others in the last regime but today, he observed that most of them were out of employment.
He said instead of waiting for political appointments, politicians should join thousands of people being empowered by the governor with hands-on skills as practically exemplified by the 5000 youths trained and empowered through the One Youth Two Skills programme.
The APGA chairman who said that the governor not only empowered the 5000 youths with economic skills, he also said that the governor mapped out N2.5 Billon seed money where each beneficiary got as much as N500,000 grant to open up their own businesses.
He therefore recalled that the Commissioner for Youth Development gave him 10 forms which he sent to his ward, Ogidi Ward One; they did not fill it and did not return the forms. That the people only found out that it was a serious process when it was inaugurated and the governor started paying people.
He expressed worry that the so-called active politicians want to sit back to be paid salaries as SAs and they don't want to be taught how to fish instead they want to be given fish for the moment and it doesn't matter to them.
That as a political party, APGA supports the new attitude of the governor and they feel it will bring better sustainability amongst the citizenry.
He also disclosed that the second stage of the One Youth Two Skills Empowerment Programme is underway.
That in comparison with what happened in the last administration where government was paying salaries to about 3000 people for doing nothing; the present administration is building millionaires, building sustainability in families and building occupation so that the people will have value for themselves, for their families and for the environment.
Obi-Okoye however reemphasized that politicians waiting for political appointments should key into Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo's new vision because he believes it is more sustainable.