A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Prof. Martin Ike-Muonso has lamented the high level of poverty in the State.
Ike-Muonso who spoke with newsmen on Friday, said the State has about 53 percent poverty rate.
He made this revelation after APC guber candidate in the State, Chief Uche Nnaji, held an interactive session with the business community at the ECCIMA House, Abakaliki road, GRA.
He said; “Enugu State can only break away from the stranglehold of poverty and unemployment through solid collaborative governance with the organized private sector.”
“As you heard from our guber candidate today, the first concern is high rate of poverty of about 58 percent and an underlying poverty mindset, such as the admittance of Enugu State as a civil service State.''
“The others are the deficient levels of industrialization and entrepreneurship, majorly responsible for the State’s high unemployment conditions, totalling approximately 53 percent, with poor governance accounting for low level of exploitation of our vast natural potentials, particularly in agriculture and agro-driven economic expansion.''
“For instance, capital expenditure as a share of the State’s total budgets consistently, albeit regrettably, shrank from 65.6% in 2014 to 31.5% in 2021, while the current expenditure, which used to be 34.4% in 2014, rose to 69% in 2021.”
“If the APC takes over power in the State, It will change this sad socio-economic scenario by prioritizing agriculture and agro-based industrialization, entrepreneurship growth and market access, particularly at the rural level, drastic poverty reduction and massive improvements in youth employment opportunities, highly improved water supply conditions, the revamp of the education and health sectors, sustained road infrastructure expansion and maintenance and an enhanced electricity generation.”
Ike-Muonso said the APC guber candidate’s manifesto, which will be unveiled next week, will be hinged on seven pillars.