The Adamawa state candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Hon Christopher Nathaniel, says he will tackle insecurity through establishing mechanisms in monitoring to address the security challenges.
Hon. Nathaniel made the remarks while interacting with journalists in Yola, that he outlined his plans for the state, including security, agriculture, education, healthcare, transportation, electricity and media development.
On security, the SDP candidate “pledged tackling insecurity would be central to his administration, promised to establish mechanisms capable of monitoring and addressing security challenges across the state.”
Hon. Nathaniel also identified agriculture as a major tool for reducing poverty, greater investment in the sector would create economic opportunities and improve the livelihoods of residents.
Also, the candidate said another important tool is the media where he described them as the “fourth realm” of government, that journalists in the state had been relegated and lacked the resources required to effectively perform their watchdog responsibilities.
He said, if elected to serve Adamawa state, his administration would provide adequate support to the media, including monthly funding from security votes, to enable journalists to access timely information and effectively report government programmes and policies.
The SDP flag bearer said government should not wait for the media to seek information, but should actively provide journalists with the necessary information to keep the public properly informed.
On education, Nathaniel said education sector will the would not be left under his watch. He lauded Governor Ahmadu Ahmadu Fintiri for the construction of modern schools across the 21 local government areas and pleged to improve the facilities by converting them to boarding schools, recruiting more teachers and equipping them with the necessary learning facilities.
He went ahead and promised free healthcare for pregnant women in public hospitals if elected, saying no expectant mother should be prevented from accessing healthcare because of inability to pay delivery or hospital bills.
Addressing transportation challenges through the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered vehicles and tricycles is one of which he said would ease transportation costs and pressure on residents while generating additional revenue for the government, he said.
The SDP candidate stressed his administration by exploring the state’s water resources, including Kiri Dam and other dams, to generate electricity locally.
He accordingly said, ” will harness the dams for power generation would help reduce the state’s dependence on external electricity sources and ease the burden on residents and businesses.”
Among his agenda, are aimed at building a new Adamawa by reducing poverty, tackling insecurity, improving education and healthcare, developing transportation infrastructure and strengthening the media’s capacity to hold government accountable.
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