2023 Governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state, Alhaji Shuaib Yaman Abdullahi on Tuesday said the state was in need of a governor that could think outside the box and be a wealth creator.
The PDP guber candidate stated this in Ilorin during an interactive session with the members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Kwara State, NUJ.
Yaman asserted that his administration would perform differently from what is obtainable in the state at moment in order to achieve better development.
The governorship hopeful said that the axis of Baruten and Kaiama local government areas of the state, could boast of cotton production, adding that the crop production business would be encouraged with establishment of ginnery to create jobs in textile sector without state government’s financial inputs.
Stated that nothing can stop the country from exporting cotton which he said could be grown in the Baruten/Kaiama axis of the state.
“As a matter of fact, that area has same soil that can grow cotton, flower and many other product that can be exported,” said the guber candidate.
Yaman said his plans for power generation would make cost of production of cotton to be competitive.
“I have spoken to Chinese companies, who could build generators powered by coal.
“We have coal in abundance in nearby Kogi that can assist in power generation needed by the cotton clusters we intend to create.
“With that, we can make our product competitive and undercut illegal imports, provide jobs from which tax can be paid to government,” he said.
He also said that his administration would take advantage of natural resources in the state and create employment for teeming youths and they will be earning a reasonable amount of money.
“A good leader should be creative, imaginative and a problem-solving personality.
“It is not enough to go to Abuja every month to seek monthly allocation from oil and bring to spend.
“Any stupid man on the street can spend money so that is not what a governor is elected to do principally.
He lamented over debt allegedly incurred by the present state government, saying that Kwara state is currently indebted to about N110 billion with monthly repayment of about N1.3 billion.
“A governor is elected to create more money from what is given to him; he is expected to be creative and not to borrow recklessly in such a manner as to plunge future generation in debt,” Yaman said.
