Honourable Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims, a House of Representatives for Ankpa/ Olamaboro/ Omala federal constituency under the banner of All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that he was seeking for legislative power to add value to the lives of the youths in his constituency.
He believes in the empowerment of the youths which according to him over 250 young men and women from the Kogi East were employed by his private businesses spanning hospitality industry, oil and gas and estate management enterprises.
He challenged his opponents in the February 16, 2019 House of Representatives election for Ankpa/Olamaboro/ Omala constituency to show the world their capacity to bring both human and material development to the people.
He told this reporter that his immediate priority is to empower the youths of the constituency as a safeguard against the evil machinations of peer groups and to keep them away from the unscrupulous politicians who would use them as thugs to unleash mayhem on their opponents.
He added that he will ensure that they are engaged in productive enterprises, adding that apart from his personal efforts to bring development to the zone, he would commit the Federal and state governments through lobbying to create enabling environment to building massive infrastructural projects through out the entire constituency that will enable them to practice their trade which will grow wealth for the people.
He noted that his empowerment programme will take the youths off the streets and by that drastically reduce the incidence of social vices that have bedeviled the society.
“I usually tell those in governance that most of the youths that engages in crimes and criminality are doing so because they were not productively engaged, with the axiom that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop is apt in our society’’
He disclosed that his attempt at making the youths the future drivers of the economy made him as a policy to employ most of his staff from the Kogi East.
“I have seven petroleum stations, and I can tell you that Igala sons and daughters are the ones working there. I lift petroleum products from 14 depots and all my depot supervisors are from Kogi East. In Halims Hotels, over 80percent of the workforce are not just from Ankpa, Olamaboro or Omala, but Igalas. I stand to challenge those contesting against me to show their employment status for their constituents either in their private businesses or while they were either in the House of Assembly or in the green chamber of the National Assembly.”
He recalled that while he was in the State Assembly between 2007 and 2011, he attracted massive employment opportunities for the indigenes of the constituency, which he added could be verified in several quarters
“I ensured that in my four years in the Assembly, not less than 200 youths were employed through me in the Federal, and State establishments including the military, police, civil defense and other paramilitary forces.
“I am doing this because there is a correlation between employment and reduction of social vices.”
