Accord gov candidate unveils vision to turn Rivers into $350 billion economy

District Governor candidate Affirmative at River State, Dumo Lulu-BriggsOn Tuesday, it unveiled what it called “a robust plan to make Rivers State one of the largest economies in Africa in the next two decades”.

Mr. Lulu-Briggs vowed to increase Rivers’ Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the current N9 billion to N25 billion a month in four years.

The manifesto, titled “Prosperity For All – My Binding Covenant,” was announced before the Pan Rivers Town Hall Meeting. It contains Mr. Lulu-Briggs’ agenda for each of the 23 local government areas in the country.

Lulu-Briggs said Rivers State was created to bring prosperity to its people, but unfortunately “98% of our people have been abandoned”.

“We need a government to create a level playing field, a refreshing new direction, a time of peace, prosperity and progress.

“I have offered myself to be the governor of Kali; there is work to be done and we at Accord are concerned, we want to make a difference.

Lulu-Briggs said Rivers’ vision is in line with its founders, which is to make the country an economic hub for the Niger Delta region and the rest of Nigeria, a developed and innovative country, and a continental destination for business and tourism.

“I come to you with a deep sense of patriotism and commitment, a true understanding of the will and aspirations of our citizens. Our people yearn for a stable and caring government, a government of integrity, dignity, and peace; a government that is honest, fair and bold.

“I have a creative determination to overcome the high unemployment rate of 42% and the poverty index of 24% in the country; the economy will witness a rapid recovery and replace unemployment and poverty with good jobs and social property.

‘How am I going to make it happen’

The candidate explained how he wants to implement this vision for the country.

“I intend to expand the IGR from the current N9 billion to N25 billion per month by the end of my first term in office. My mission is to restore prosperity to all in Rivers by laying the foundation for an exponential increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), from the current annual value of $20 billion up to $350 billion over 12 to 15 years.

“I have prepared 23 special mini-development plans of local governments, which will generate rapid growth and development for every council in the country. There will be special industrial clusters in all local governments, producing various value chains for the local market and exports.

“The government that I will lead will have zero tolerance for insecurity. The multiple strategies to secure the country include the creation of a Security Trust Fund driven by the private sector; I will also ensure increased investment in intelligence gathering technology and the intensification of collaboration with state security institutions and neighboring/congruent countries in a project to be named Rivers Watch.

Tourism, education

Mr. Lulu-Briggs promised to invest heavily in tourism to connect all parts of the country to the Atlantic Ocean and the cultural belt. He also promised to improve the education system to give children access to the best education, while attracting students from other parts of the country and the world to attend school in Rivers.

“The wealth of Rivers State lies in the underdevelopment of Andoni and other local government areas. We can make huge revenue from tourism in Andoni and other areas. We just need to come together and work hard to achieve our dreams.

“All these visions can only happen in safe and secure conditions. Therefore, my top priority is to ensure a good level of security in Rivers before the end of 2023 and increase the confidence of global investors and tourists in the security and unlimited business potential of the country.

“The economic destiny of Rivers State is to bring prosperity to the people of the first state and, by extension, to all of Eastern Nigeria from South-South Nigeria (Delta and Bayelsa states), through eastern Nigeria and all the way to Borno State in the north -east.

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“This is similar to the role of Lagos in bringing prosperity to Western Nigeria, but the historical motive to make our State seems to have been lost to the previous administration of Rivers State’s plan to realize the fortune that could not be achieved by making Rivers State the economic center of Eastern Nigeria,” he said. .

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the National Accord, Mohammed Lawal, described Mr. Lulu-Briggs as a man of his word, saying he has the qualities to become the president of the country one day.

He urged Rivers people to vote for Mr. Lulu-Briggs, to “find prosperity in the state”, saying the candidate had a positive impact on the lives of the people.