Ahead of his declaration to be part of the race for the governorship of Ekiti in the election coming up later this year, Senator Babafemi Ojudu has released his manifesto titled: ‘My Agenda for Life More Meaningful for Ekiti People’, saying he envisions a prosperous state where life would be more meaningful for the people.
Ojudu, who is Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, will declare to contest on March 9, 2018 on the platform of his party the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The versatile journalist said his manifesto, which covers a wide range of socio-economic and development issues, would address ways of overcoming the manifestations of poor governance in Ekiti State over the years.
The DEFENDER recently reported Ojudu as the only politician ever to have defeated the sitting Governor Ayodele Fayose in an election.
He defeated Fayose by a wide margin to clinch the seat of Senator representing Ekiti Central in the 2011 national assembly election and currently he appears the most likely for the ticket with the body language of party members who will vote in a primary election where godfathering will not help any contender.
Senator Ojudu, according to the blueprint, said the state was beset with battered economy, shattered dreams; infrastructural decay; non-existent social services; erosion of positive values; executive rascality, a situation, he said has led to a complete arrest of the development of Ekiti State and its people.
According to him, the challenges were traceable to a myriad of causative and consequential factors bordering on lack of capacity for public governance; endemic poverty; neglect and the culture of entitlement, among others.
Ojudu said change could only happen in the compact and homogeneous state if knowledge was fused with enterprise to bring about development and prosperity.
He explained that his strategy thrust rests on four pillars namely: To foster economic growth; invest in the people; nurture enterprise and innovation; and ensure wellbeing (F-I-N-E).
He plans to put Ekiti back on the path of greatness to make the lives of the people more abundant and restore the dignity of Ekiti people.
The translation of these interrelated pillars into action, he noted, is expected to eliminate unemployment and unemployability; reduce poverty; improve the living standards of the people; and ensure personal motivation for a productive economy.
Specifically, Ojudu noted that government would embark on initiatives that will trigger a revolution in the agricultural sector; focus on tourism and infrastructure development; optimise education and knowledge.
He also pledged to restore teachers to their pride of place as nurturers of society; place emphasis on technical education and knowledge-based learning; and develop strategic and innovative models with a focus on energy and infrastructure.
With the promise of an open, transparent, honest and unpretentious government, Ojudu and his team of committed, passionate, experienced, energetic and exposed Ekiti sons and daughters will dedicate themselves to service and loyalty to the people.
