Edo 2024: I love to serve my people as governor – Ighodalo

A PDP governorship aspirant in Edo, Mr Asue Ighodalo, says he will make life more meaningful for the people through improved infrastructure, if he wins the Sept. 2, 2024, governorship election.

Ighodalo said this while addressing members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of NUJ at their secretariat in Benin.

The aspirant, who had recently resigned his position as Chairman of the Nigerian Breweries, listed his areas of priority to include agriculture, rural development, education, provision of infrastructure, water, energy and others.

Ighodalo promised to leverage on the comparative advantage of local government areas of Edo as a tool for revenue generation and economic development without necessarily overburden the people with much taxation.

According to him, “one thing that has worried me is the level of poverty in Edo State.

“It’s rather high. So, we need to drive our people out of poverty by deploying problems- solving instruments and drive financial inclusion that will make Edo state a hub for global trade.”

The governorship aspirant challenged media practitioners to be precise in profiling aspirants seeking elective positions.

He also urged the media to set for contestants, agenda that would entrench credible leaders in the coveted positions by separating rhetoric from facts ahead of the election, saying this was fundamental.

Ighodalo, attributed his love to serve Edo people as his reason for his recent resignation from his positions on the boards of some corporate organisations.

He added that “my love and passion to serve humanity are the driving forces for the success stories in places I have worked.

“It is the same driving forces, integrity and character of purpose that have compelled me to tender my resignation, before I announced my aspiration to contest the governorship seat because that is the right thing to do.

“I am 100 per cent committed to the upliftment of our state and the betterment of our people.

“You can’t tell us our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is X or same with Dubai when people cannot eat or have money in their pockets,” he said.