Dr. Kelechi Anosike, governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for the 2027 governorship election in Abia State has outlined a people-centred development agenda anchored on what he described as a welfarist ideology, insisting that governance must be measured not only by roads and physical infrastructure but by the impact of policies on the lives of ordinary citizens.
Speaking on his programmes if elected governor, Anosike said Abia State currently lacks a meaningful welfare framework and argued that this gap was a major reason for his decision to enter the race.
According to him, his administration would prioritise the well-being of residents above “brick and mortar,” maintaining that government performance should be judged by improvements in quality of life, healthcare, education and economic opportunity.
“Our government will not be measured by infrastructure alone. It will not be a brick-and-mortar government. Our government will be measured by the well-being of the people,” he told a group of editors in Abuja Thursday.
He summed up the philosophy of his campaign with the slogan, “People first, Abia always,” saying every Abian in need should be treated as a priority, not a burden.
Anosike said his proposed model of governance rests on seven pillars of welfare, beginning with economic welfare aimed at prosperity and wealth creation. He listed SME financing, grants, skill acquisition, entrepreneurship support, industrialisation and market expansion as key components of that agenda.
He criticised what he described as the absence of grants and industrial growth in the state, arguing that government revenue should be deployed to directly improve livelihoods and stimulate job creation.
On social protection, the PDP candidate said his administration would focus on vulnerable groups, including the elderly, persons with disabilities and poor households. He said no Abian should go to bed hungry, adding that his “Operation Feed Abia” would drive a back-to-farm policy designed to improve food security and restore agriculture as a viable economic base.
He also proposed a state-backed health insurance framework to support retirees and civil servants, including the establishment of dedicated health insurance hospitals in Umuahia and Aba, alongside functional primary healthcare facilities in all 17 local government areas.
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Anosike said years of service and retirement age should count as equity for retired workers under the scheme, while civil servants would contribute a fraction and government would absorb the larger share.
He stressed that affordable healthcare, free maternal care, drug subsidies and efficient medical staffing would form part of his healthcare welfare programme, noting that a healthy population is essential for a productive economy.
In education, Anosike promised to restore bursary awards, provide scholarships, rehabilitate schools and institutionalise compulsory skill acquisition at both secondary and tertiary levels. He said graduates should leave school with not only certificates but also practical skills that can support self-employment and reduce unemployment.
He argued that government should be willing to support fresh graduates with startup grants to establish businesses, saying hundreds of viable small-scale ventures remain inaccessible to young people because of a lack of capital.
On youth welfare and empowerment, Anosike said his government would establish tech hubs, sports academies and a new agency, the Abia Labour and Global Opportunities Agency, to connect young people in the state to remote jobs and international work opportunities.
He said another proposed institution, the Abia State Informal Sector Development and Regulatory Agency, would organise and certify artisans and service providers such as mechanics, electricians, plumbers and estate agents in order to improve standards, reduce fraud and open international employment pathways for skilled workers.
Anosike said stronger regulation of the informal sector would also reduce disputes that currently overwhelm police stations and courts, especially cases involving unlicensed agents and service providers.
He further pledged to tap the state’s solid mineral resources, revive agricultural extension services and build modern farm settlements that would make agriculture more attractive to young people through the provision of internet access, sporting facilities and other amenities.
According to him, proper farming methods and extension support would improve crop quality, reduce waste and position Abia farmers for export opportunities.
On workers’ welfare, Anosike promised to build a civil service college, introduce executive training systems, professionalise the public service and pay workers above the minimum wage.
While acknowledging that the current administration has delivered more roads than past governments, he argued that such achievements were expected given the significantly higher revenues now available to the state.
He maintained that Abia’s problem is not poverty but poor management.
“Abia State is not poor; Abia State is poorly managed,” he said, insisting that the state’s resources are sufficient to drive broader and more inclusive development.
For Anosike, the central question of governance is not simply how much concrete is poured, but how much relief, dignity and opportunity public policy brings to the people.
His pitch to Abians ahead 2027 is clear: a government that builds roads, but also builds lives.
Crediblenewsng.com
