After resigning his appointment as Executive Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) last Friday, Sanusi Ohiare has joined the Kogi State governorship race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ohiare submitted his expression of interest and nomination forms at APC national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday, declaring that he will build an airport in Kogi State.
He also promised to build an inland port and extend the rail line from Kogi to Abuja in addition to the airport to boost economic and social activities in the north-central state.
He said, “We have advantages with having a confluence for trade where we can have an inland port. We don’t have an airport; we want to have an airport because we want people to fly into Kogi for business, for tourism and for leisure.
“We want to connect the railway from Itakpe which is already extending to Kogi. We want to extend it to Abuja so that we can have a direct link in terms of railway linking the north and the south. We want to build on infrastructural development that Yahaya has embarked on.”
The former REA boss noted that Kogi has made tremendous progress under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello who became governor at the age of 40, and widely opened the doors for youth and women emancipation in politics and governance over the last seven years.
He continued: “The challenge before us is how to sustain and build on the great works of his Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, and who is best equipped to succeed him.
“Under Yahaya Bello, Kogi State has inched closer to a more perfect union, given the prevalence of ethnic divides before he assumed office in 2016, which is evidenced in the current dimension of the Kogi race for governorship where voters are no longer considering your ethnicity or religion, but researching on your person, character, antecedents and capacity to deliver.
“Kogi has also witnessed relative peace, stability and massive infrastructural development in the areas of Education, Health, Roads, Bridges and Power, to mention a few, under our amiable leader, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
“Governor Yahaya Bello rose up to the occasion in 2016, answered the call for a generational change in leadership in Kogi, and Allah made him Governor. Today, we are called once more, and it is time for my generation to answer that call yet again.
He vowed to partner with the private sector in creating jobs with better pay for the youths of Kogi.
“Let us make education more affordable and skill acquisition readily available for our youths. Let us partner with the Federal Government to build an inland port in Lokoja build rain lines connecting the North, build an airport, rehabilitate more roads and build newer ones, and effectively, make Kogi the Logistics hub of this nation.” he added.
Similarly, the Senator representing Kogi Central, Yakubu Oseni, on Tuesday also submitted his expression of interest and nomination forms at the APC headquarters.
He said he has been tested and trust and stand better chances amongst the other aspirants.
“I will also personally advise all my co-contestants that democracy is about what you have being doing, what you are doing now and what you intend to do for your people and in my own case you will see what I have being doing, what I am doing currently and of course what I will do for people in the future,” he stated.
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