Usani Uguru Usani was featured in Ask The Candidate; an Interactive Session with Cross River State governorship candidates. The event was organized by The Cross River Movement in partnership with Africa Leadership Group, Calabar Chamber of Commerce Industry Mining and Agriculture, Cross River Economic Summit, and a host of others. The session gave its participants the opportunity to put forward pertinent questions to the governorship candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP).
The People’s Redemption Party (PRP) governorship candidate explained the type of governor that he will be. In his words, he said: “I will be a governor of my nature, guaranteeing accessibility, interactivity with accountability, and transparency without changing my lifestyle. I will serve in beneficence and not benevolence, giving priority and attention to all Cross Riverians.”
He went further to say that the first three priorities of his government will be Health, Education, and Infrastructure, and said that “we will take these up through Sector resource connection.”
Usani decried the backdrops in the healthcare system and explained that Care in the medical sector has gone down to about 20 to 25 percent. Preferring a solution, he assured that his government will look critically into the health sector. He explained that “Lack of resources gives need to healthcare insurance”. According to him, “Facilities are in a sorry state. I can promise that we have the necessary links to fix that up.” He further explained that Professional practice will be attended to. He also spoke about creating physical and intangible social infrastructure.
On job creation, Usani said, it is impossible for all unemployed youths to gain employment in this government because according to him, “to create jobs will mean, what are people interested in doing. We will focus on manpower and resource availability. Creating jobs is to create an environment for vocational practices. Creating jobs is to look at the institutions again.”
The ex-minister explained that Tourism by its present construction in the state cannot thrive until the setbacks and accidents of tourism are looked into. He elucidated that Tourism doesn’t begin or end with carnival; then suggests that tourist sites should be developed and handed to private individuals to manage them.
Shedding light on industrialization, Usani explained that, security and education must be looked into to have cumulative competition existing. He added that, “on ASUU strike, the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) through its strike is fulfilling the Boko Haram perspective, because Boko Haram stands against western education and that that’s exactly what ASUU is doing now. The government should clear all they owe there should be a negotiation about the burden of liability.”
Speaking about the huge debt profile of Cross River State, he said that his government will lay a foundation for revenue generation to fill in the gap created by the current debt burden of the state without relying on federal allocation. He further said that he will explore the mining sector to also augment revenue generation. The governorship candidate stated that he will be at the forefront of funding creativity through research. Usani explained that just as no one can lead Cross River state without investing in agriculture, his administration will not be an exception.
The conversation as earlier announced held via zoom and was broadcast live on Hit 95.9 FM Calabar, on TCRM’s YouTube Channel, and Facebook, and attracted participants from far and wide and both home and in the diaspora. Partners were also live on the conversation.