A Presidential aspirant on the platform of Action Alliance (AA) party, Mr Samson Odupitan, has promised to create a Ministry of Community Affairs to address community related issues.
Odupitan made the promise on Monday in Abuja while addressing newsmen shortly after he bought the Expression of Interest and Nomination form to contest for president in the 2023 general elections.
According to him, the ministry will also address insecurity and other challenges that are presently bedeviling the country at the grassroots.
He said that his goals when elected as president would be to bridge the gap in governance between the masses and the government at all levels.
The presidential hopeful said that government was too far from the people, adding that it was why it was finding it difficult to hear the cries of the people, to understand and to meet their needs.
“When I become the president, my first assignment immediately after being sworn-in is to create a ministry of community affairs in all the states of the country and at the federal level.
“This ministry will be saddled with the responsibility of liaising with the communities, through the rural and traditional rulers, youth leaders, market women leaders, farmers, trade leaders and religious heads.
“It will report directly to the office of the president and the governors at the state, relating the plights, needs, wants, challenges, fears and general advices of the masses for the growth and development of the country.
“I believe this is the only way through which the government would be close to the people and the people to the government,’’ he said.
Odupitan said that he would conduct a national population census that would include the creation of a technology-based social security system where social security numbers would be synchronised with Bank Verification Numbers (BVN).
This he said would aid direct financial support by the government to the masses and eliminate corruption and looting of government funds in the process of financially empowering the masses.
Odupitan said that through the technologically linked social security numbers to individual BVN, his government would disburse zero interest loans to identified small business owners, traders and farmers to boost productivity.
He also promised to address youth redundancy through various skills acquisition and empowerment programmes, as well as job creation through the ministry of communities.
The presidential aspirant promised to revive dead sectors in the country and restore the nation’s glory of locally producing its food and other currently outsourced materials.
Mr Kenneth Udeze, the party’s National Chairman, congratulated the aspirant for taking the bold step to vie for president on the party’s platform.
He said though the aspirant was the party’s first presidential hopeful, forms were still on sale and available to all aspirants vying for elective positions at all levels of government across the country.
“We welcome you to Action Alliance, the party of the masses, and the number three strongest political party in the nation.
“We want you to know that so many people have expressed interest in running on our party for president but you are the first to pick the form to run for president.
“We advise you to adhere to all our party rules and those set by the electioneering bodies in the country and we want you to also welcome those who would come after you to run for the same position on the party’s umbrella.
“The goal is not to only contest for power or supremacy at the party level, but to contest, win and govern the country on behalf of the masses and for the development of Nigeria,’’ he said. (NAN)
