The United Progressive Party (UPP) senatorial candidate for Imo West, Comrade Precious Nwadike has said that those contesting with him, inspite of all the money they made in the previous offices and positions they held, do not have investments in Orlu and are not perturbed by the level of unemployment which has obviously heightened insecurity of lives and property in the zone.
He stated this while fielding questions from journalists, shortly after receiving an award from Alvan Ikoku Federal college of Education Alumni Association on behalf of Community Watchdog Newspaper as the Most human rights crusader newspaper of the year,2018.
According to him, as long as his opponents do not have investments in Orlu, they will hardly be concerned about infrastructural development of the zone,if elected. “This is why banks in Orlu have been closing by 2pm without any justifiable reason while those who hold our mandate in trust have not thought it wise to address the issue which is detrimental to the socio-economic development of the area and its people”. He described this development that has been on for long as economic sabotage that only vocal people like him who have investments in Orlu and know the pain and security hazards an average business man or trader in Orlu encounters by going to Owerri or other neighboring towns for banking services after 2pm, daily.
He noted that a lawmaker from the zone was recently quoted as saying that no doubt banks in Orlu close by 2pm because of insecurity, lawmakers are not in a position to address such issues as it is beyond them.”I doubt if this statement actually came from the lawmaker, if he said so, it means he lacks knowledge of what an oversight function is”.
Comrade Nwadike maintained that, “it is a stigma on Orlu people who are not known for crime to now be labeled as crime prone areas, especially, when the Police Area Command, Divisional Police headquarters, Immigration Training School, Federal Road Safety Corps, and virtually all other security agencies have functional offices in and around Orlu”.
The senatorial hopeful and acclaimed human rights activist assured that he will work in synergy with relevant institutions and stakeholders to address this issue within his first three months in the senate. “I will also facilitate massive engagement of youths in meaningful ventures, through creation of job opportunities and enabling environment for the actualization of their dreams and reduce insecurity occasioned by hunger”.
This, he said is the difference between him and other candidates who he challenged to make public their manifestos the same way he intends to unveil his on 29th December 2018.
Comrade Nwadike boasted that he will achieve all that are contained in his manifesto within his first 3 years in the senate. “This I say with all sincerity and not as a political statement”.
He advised the electorate to vote according to the dictates of their conscience, stressing that money politics has been the bane of under development in Orlu zone and other places. “It is saddening that those we freely gave our mandate abandoned and left us to our agonizing fate all through this period of hardship, only to resurface now to seek our mandate again.
The past few years have been very traumatic for Orlu and Imo people, hence it will be wrong for us to vote for anybody that did not identify with the people at this period of hardship”.
He used the occasion to invite Orlu people to the official unveiling of his manifesto at Watchdog Press Centre, along Bank Road, Orlu on 29th December 2018.
