Gubernatorial hopeful under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Joseph Erico Ameh has promised to re-invent the ‘Middle Class’ by taking deliberate actions with commensurate political will to propel the middle class into the engine room of the economic prosperity of Kogi.
In a chat with newsmen on Wednesday, Erico the current situation in Kogi state where workers’ salaries are not paid.
He pledged to launch a state-wide schools renovation program to improve the learning environment, upgrade libraries into e-libraries and create new ones in each LGA in the State.
He added that he would establish IBILE meal scheme in all our public schools and pay bursary for students in higher institutions and introduce scholarship into vocational and technical.
Erico said his administration will “reposition Kogi State University, Kogi State Polytechnic and other tertiary institutions in the state as global centres of academy and continue the current schools renovation program state-wide to improve learning environment”.
He said the construction of road and merit appointment will be is goal. He also makes it known that the salary of the civil servants will be the First Agenda in his administration
“Kogi State is on the map of Nigeria today on a negative perspective. Today, there is no development. Roads are in pitiable condition. Nothing is moving in Kogi State. Workers’ salaries are not paid. The health sector is in bad shape.
“Everything about human welfare has collapsed. There is breakdown of order in Kogi and the state is in near anarchy. There is total lack of infrastructure, with the people suffering. Things were bad before Yahaya Bello took over. But, people thought that, as a youth, he would have put things in order. In fact, expectations were high when he took over. That is why people are now crying louder that they want a change and that is how I came in,” he said.
Piqued by this state of affairs, some have united to seek a successor to Bello due to, what they termed, failure of governance in the state. The groups include the Vanguard For Good Governance (VGG), the Nigerian Youths Advocacy for Peace and Development, as well as the Global Centre for Peace and Education.
They have picked Dr. Joseph Erico Ameh, a security expert, business mogul and philanthropist, who has accepted to pitch tent against Bello under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Chief Abubakar Agene, VGC President, on behalf of the others, said that “if Chief Ameh comes on board, there will be great transformation in every segment of Kogi.”
They see Ameh as “a good resource manager of men and material, based on his antecedent and the way he had been prudently managing his business outfits that cut across several parts of the country.”
Erico who hails from Olamaboro LGA of the state, is a security expert with a doctorate degree in Criminology.
He has met with the state executives of the PDP to express interest and has equally been making wide consultations with critical stakeholders.
He is the MD/CEO of a security organization, Real Strikers Security Services Ltd based in Lagos and has received best security services awards from the Senate, the Inspector General of Police and Common Wealth Society of Nigeria, among others.
Erico, a seasoned businessman and philanthropist, is said to be gathering momentum to give Bello a run for his money when the whistle is blown for the 2019 race.
