Boniface Okoro in Umuahia
The 2027 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Dr. Kelechi Anosike, said he planned to establish a micro-finance bank to improve the economic welfare of Abians if elected.
Anosike announced the plan during a consultation with members of the Old Bende Progressive Union.
He said the bank, which will be headquartered in Aba, will advance interest-free revolving loans to traders, artisans and entrepreneurs to boost economic activities and improve the welfare of the people.
According to him, the bank was part of his broader Economic Welfare Policy for Abians.
Addressing the group at their meeting in Aba, Anosike said he was seeking the governorship to make life easier for Abians, noting that the people were facing severe economic hardship because the Labour Party-led administration had failed to introduce adequate welfare measures to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.
Describing himself as a welfarist, he said beneficiaries only needed to be guaranteed by the leadership of their respective unions to qualify for the loans.
“I have come to make life better for Abians because people are suffering. Part of how we will do it is that we will establish what we call Traders Micro-finance Bank, with headquarters in Aba. It will be collateral-free and interest-free.
“Several pressure groups, trade unions and community association groups will register with the bank as cooperative societies. We call it Cooperative Economics for access to financing,” he said.
The PDP candidate promised to establish three industries annually to tackle unemployment in the state.
“The incumbent government has spent three and a half years and has built no single industry. It is painful that after schooling, our youth remain unemployed and, at most, graduates will be ‘empowered’ with tricycles because of lack of job opportunities. It is not the best. It has triggered exodus of our youths to other states and cities.
“If Kelechi Anosike emerges, we will build industries and create job opportunities for the youths,” he stated.
He added that his administration would set up the Abia Labour Global Opportunities Agency to connect youths to job opportunities abroad, particularly virtual jobs.
“We will set up what we call Abia Labour Global Opportunities Agency through which our youths will be connected to job opportunities abroad and they will be paid in dollars because our youths are very intelligent. Most jobs are virtual now and they will work with the internet,” he said.
Anosike also promised food sufficiency through an agriculture programme.
“The present government has spent three years, we have not seen any progress in agriculture, that is why we are experiencing hardship. That is why we will come up with what we call Operation Feed Abia (OFA), a back-to-farm state policy.
“Everybody will have a farm so that there will be enough food and the cost of living will be low. If you are having one square meal a day now, if I become governor, you will be eating three square meals a day, with something to chew in between because we will go into massive agriculture,” he said.
A statement from the Media Unit of Anosike Campaign Organisation quoted the welfarist candidate as promising to introduce a health insurance scheme that would subsidize the cost of healthcare delivery by 60 per cent.
“Once you register, you enjoy a 60 per cent discount in cost of healthcare delivery services,” he assured, adding that his administration would provide infrastructure without compromising the welfare of the people.
While acknowledging the efforts of the incumbent administration in road infrastructure, Anosike argued that its output was not commensurate with the volume of revenue accruing to the state.
“We will build roads and build lives. We will perform better. Anosike g’eme karia (Anosike will do much more),” he said.
He told the people that he was not making empty promises, insisting that Abia has sufficient funds to realise his manifesto and urged them to vote for all PDP candidates in 2027.
He thanked the leadership of the Union for the opportunity to interact with them.
Earlier, the Union’s President, DIG Azubuko Udah, had welcomed Anosike, saying the group was apolitical but a socio-cultural organisation.