The Chairman of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Benue state chapter, Engr. John Enemari, has stated that when the party clinches power come 2019, it will rescue the state from backwardness using late Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu’s blueprint.
Late Adasu was the second Executive Governor of Benue State elected on 2nd January, 1992 under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Speaking with The Next Edition at the party’s secretariat in Makurdi, the chairman said that Adasu had a very perfect blueprint to put Benue on the right path but his tenure was cut short having served for just one year and ten months in office.
According to him Benue fared well under SDP as the late Adasu founded institutions and industries like the Benue State University, (BSU), Makurdi, the College of Education in Katsina Ala and Oju J.S. Tarka Foundation.
He also named BENCO roof tile, the Katsina Ala fruit juice company, the cement industries in Mbatiav and Igumale among others as some of the projects he executed under the SDP before his stay in office was cut short by the military in 1993.
“So, we intend to go to our archives, pick up our blueprint, dust them and execute them,” Enemari said.
He lamented that the state had been impoverished since Adasu left office saying they would fulfill the dreams of Adasu in industrialising the state come 2019.
He said with that, there would be massive employment for the teeming youths in the state.
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“Payment of salary is not an achievement. In fact, any government that refuses to pay salaries is devilish, wicked and going against Biblical injunctions.
“We in SDP will not count payment of salary as achievement because it is compulsory and the Bible says a worker deserves his wages. So we will ensure that workers and pensioners get their dues,” he added.
He therefore appealed to aspirants contesting on its platform to embrace peace and eschew any form of acrimony as it looked forward to the party’s primaries ahead of 2019 general election.
He assured the aspirants that the national leadership of the party in collaboration with state party was working assiduously to ensure that all those contesting in its platform had a level playing field.
He said that the SDP had no issues of Godfatherism, but that only the people would determine who was qualified to occupy what position in the state.
He said the party would also screen and rescreen those vying for seats at the state house of assembly so that only credible people and those with integrity to checkmark the executives would emerge.
He called on all Benue people to embrace the SDP in its entirety to enable it emerge victorious at the polls.