Governorship aspirant under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Boladei Igali has said that the November 16 election is about the future of Beyelsa and that of the Ijaw ethnic group.
Igali stated this while meeting with delegates in various locations in Yenagoa ahead of the forthcoming PDP governorship primary in the state.
Igali, at the event, picked and offered a little girl he identified as baby Testimony, from Ekeremor, a lifelong scholarship up to Phd level, describing her as a super delegate.
The aspirant who recently emerged as the most acceptable, took his time in his interactions to assure the delegates that he would offer a matured, experienced and visionary leadership that would enable the children of the Ijaw nation and Bayelsa state in particular to have a future which would guarantee the best standard of living in Nigeria.
Igali stated that “with all the work that previous Governors; Alamieyeseigha, Jonathan, Sylva and Dickson, have done; we are at a point of moving forward or going back in our journey of building a virile Ijaw nation. It is critical that we lay down sentiments and put in a governor on whom we can entrust the future”.
Igali emphasized that “the greatest gifts which we can pass on to our children are the fear of God and the assurance of a secured future. That future must ensure that our children like the ten months old baby, Testimony whom I am carrying in my hands right now will grow to know that our generation took the right decisions and toiled to make them have the best standard of living around our country and around Africa.”
He stated that ” After all the generation before us, most of whom have passed on worked to create a Rivers state and later Bayelsa for us; for this we honour and cherish their memory. For this we also remember their names with deepest respect and appreciation.
“We therefore have no choice but to leave behind something which our children will remember us for, that is building an egalitarian society where the people live in safety, in social and economic comfort, in dignity, in good health, clean environment and total fulfilment in life.”
The governorship hopeful maintained that if elected governor of Bayelsa state, indeed Ijaw nation would overtake all of Nigeria in the attainment of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) which he stated would be the benchmark for assessing the programme, projects and activities of government.
He therefore promised among other things, free and compulsory primary and secondary education, easy access to education loan and bursary at tertiary level, full scholarship for teachers and female engineering, medicine and science based students.
He also promised to provide full and comprehensive health insurance coverage for all residents in Bayelsa and particularly free health services for infants, children and the aged.
Igali also pledged massive housing on mortgage financing programme, wide spread entrepreneurship and job creation programmes based on agriculture, deepsea fishing, maritime and marine industry, oil and gas and the service sector, security and revival of the Ijaw culture and the development of a central Ijaw language.
