Nweke reminded the people of Enugu of the potential the state holds, citing the rich history as the former capital of the Eastern Region.
By Jeffrey Agbo
APGA governorship candidate in Enugu State, Frank Nweke Jr, has assured members of ECCIMA, ECOBPA, the business community and entire people of Enugu that there are possibilities for wealth creation should he be elected governor in 2023.
Nweke began with his promise to restore trust to the institution of government and then declared that the key economic thrust for his administration would be to make a conscious departure from the politics of managing poverty to a new paradigm of wealth creation by harnessing Enugu’s comparative advantages towards enabling its people and businesses enjoy the best life and achieve their full potential.
Nweke reminded the people of Enugu of the potential the state holds, citing the rich history as the former capital of the Eastern Region, the concentric circles that make up the topography of the State, the arable lands that can grow almost anything, the large population of young and vibrant people, the natural resource deposits and the fact that Enugu is the connector the production centre of Northern Nigeria to the bustling industrial Southern part.
“With all of these advantages that belly opportunities for immense wealth and value, why then is Enugu still the 3rd poorest State in Nigeria in terms of GDP, tailing behind on both social and economic indicators?” He asked.
The APGA candidate highlighted the ‘ineptitude of leadership’, ‘corruption that makes resource acquisition difficult’ and an extremely low ease of doing business, among others.
Nweke referred to Enugu’s ranking on the PEBEC/KPMG ease of doing business report that placed the state at 27th out of 37 states, including the FCT.
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Nweke said the first thing would be to quickly improve the ease of doing business by addressing all the factors that influence it. “For this analysis, I will focus on just the regulatory aspect which includes improving access to land, taxation, judiciary, a working civil service and accountable IGR administration.
“The reasons for that low score mentioned above is not far fetched. The first indicator that was surveyed is Land Acquisition and we know what that’s like in Enugu today. We have a Governor who has cornered the entire process and makes it a tall task for regular businesses and investors to perfect their land purchases. Our common property has become a feast for him and his cronies,” he said.
On this, Nweke announced that land ownership would be made public and purchases follow a structured and transparent process.
He said his administration would be deploying technology, using a Geo Information Solution called E-LAMS, Enugu Land Administration Management System. This will further enforce transparency, which he said must be administered by a Commissioner for Lands and Urban Renewal whose character can be trusted. Nweke said the commissoner’s goal would be to guarantee the speed of completion of transactions, with C-of-O or Governor’s consent issued to buyers within seven business days.
He then went on to the issue of multiple taxation. Nweke promised that the state’s taxes would be simplified, digitised and harmonised ensuring that payments are easy to track and not duplicated.
He also said his administration would provide tax-free incentives to attract businesses and encourage growth within selected sectors and parameters.
An interesting point he raised that excited the audience was his determination to curb the harassment of small-scale traders for the collection of multiple and illegal levies.
On the matter of the judiciary and ensuring that businesses get access to justice in good time, Nweke said he would improve the conditions of service of judges and members of the judiciary and provide training incentives for continuous development.
He said he would also institute a multi-door court system that offers a variety of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes to include arbitration, mediation, negotiated rulemaking, neutral fact finding, and mini-trials.
Finally, to provide the right regulatory environment, the APGA governorship candidate drilled down on the issue of IGR administration.
He said he would immediately cut down the cost of governance and reallocate funds to critical economic areas. He gave a startling figure of 9% being what was allocated to the Governor’s office from the 2022 budget. “This represents above N17 billion. Water received 5.5%. Even while works received N35 billion, we sadly cannot say that we see the effect of that huge amount in the State,” he said.
Nweke thus said his administration would block the leakages in government by instituting transparency and accountability in processes. He further emphasised the need for a transparent taxation system to ensure that taxes are easier to remit.
He closed this segment by assuring the people that the Enugu State’s Due Process Office would be active and review investments and projects critically, subjecting them to a return on investment test.