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‪PPA‬ GUBER CANDIDATE ‪‎CHIKWE UDENSI‬ DECLARES FREE EDUCATION IN ABIA

***to pay over N300 million school fees for all primary and secondary school students before the election

Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) gubernatorial candidate in Abia State, Sir Chikwe Udensi, has declared free education at the primary and secondary levels in the state even before he is elected. Udensi announced this yesterday at New Market (Ahia Ohu) Ngwa road Aba. Speaking to the traders Udensi said he believes election campaign has gone beyond promises; the people should assess all the candidates by what each of them had done in the past and what they are doing now. “If you say you will build roads if elected, how many roads have you constructed in the past and how many are you constructing now. If you say you will give free education, how many people have you awarded scholarship to in the past and how many are you training now. Go to Urratta, go to Omuma, go to Powerline, go to Hospital road, go to Obioha, go to Ohanku, go to Ukwu Mango, am rehabilitating these roads and many others with my personal money. Go to Arochukwu, I had constructed over 14 km of roads in the past even before I decided to run for the governorship of the state.”

“I have written to Abia state government to forward to my office, the tuitions fees for all primary and secondary students in the state for this term, I was told it’s about 300million, I will pay. I don’t just want to promise you free education, I want Abians to start enjoying it even before am elected. After the election, I will extend it to the tertiary level and also introduce bursary for all Abia students all over Nigeria.

Udensi also pledged to rebuild dilapidated school buildings in the state as well as equip schools with computers to ensure that pupils and students were exposed early to modern information technology.

He also promised teachers a better welfare package and prompt payment of salaries, adding that his administration would ensure the restoration of the dignity and pride associated with the teaching profession.

He said: “Education bridges the gap between the so-called rich and the poor. It is the best legacy any proactive government can give to its people. My administration will not only ensure free education at all levels, but also ensure that books and educational materials are subsidised so that every Abia child will have access to qualitative education.”

The governorship candidate explained that the bursary scheme would also include students doing post-graduate studies, adding that his government would work out modalities to assist Abia First Class graduates further their education abroad to enable them compete effectively with their contemporaries from other countries of the world.

Udensi, however, decried the level of illiteracy, especially in the rural communities, saying over 75 per cent of students in Abia State either lacked computer illiteracy or did not have access to the Internet in a globalised world.

“My government will arouse the conscious of Abia students to ensure that they learn through reading in a globalised world, where information disseminates faster through integrated computer networks.

“We shall equip schools with computers as well as introduce the use of it in our schools to ensure that an average Abia student becomes employable and indispensable, if possible, in his or her chosen profession/career.

“My plan is to place Abia above other states of the federation academically and make her youths the bedrock of research and innovation in Africa generally,” he said.

Udensi also said it was also going to harmonise taxes in the state in such a way that the poor and women would be exempted from all manner of tax payments while daily tickets levy by try¬cles operators popularly called keke and wheelbarrow pushers would be abolished.

“Our people have suffered over the years because the pres¬ent government is not people ori¬ented and the little they claimed to have achieved does not in any way benefit the masses.
“That is why we have careful¬ly drawn up programmes such as free education, free medical services for the aged, abolition of tax payment by the very poor among others to alleviate the sufferings of the poor masses and all these things we are go¬ing to implement if we win the election”.

The PPA governorship candidate said his first assignment if he becomes the governor of the state would be to declare Aba a disaster area, stressing that he would relocate and live in Aba for two years to be able to super¬vise the reconstruction of roads in the city which contract he said would be given to reputable firms.
Reminding the crowd that Igbo is one, Udensi said his admin¬istration was going to do those things that would unite Ndigbo rather than disunite them.
In this wise, he said that all workers in the state whose ap¬pointments were terminated for being non Abians would be re¬called and their arrears of salary paid because according to him, they were wrongly sacked.

He promised to provide meaningful jobs for the youths and take care of the welfare of the disabled in the state.
Reacting to Udensi’s education transformation agenda, President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Abia State chapter, Kalu Okechukwu, described it as an unprecedented plan that would remain indelible in the hearts of Abia students.

He regretted that students of the state origin were currently not given any bursary by the state government
He hailed the proposed bursary scheme as a welcome development, saying it would endear Udensi to the electorates to him as well as elicit votes from the students who had been craving for such motivation from their leaders.

“He will surely have the votes of the students and more especially their support during and after the election,” Kalu assured.

Lord I'm not from Abia. but please do not let pdp guber candidate in Abia state emerge winner. apga or ppa on our mind.