The governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Rivers State, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, has said his administration will grow the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state from N9 billion to N25 billion if elected governor of the state.
He also said administration will increase the GDP of Rivers State from $20billion to about $350 billion in few years time as well as make Onne Sea Port, a major cargo port to serve the entire south-south and south- east geopolitical zones of the country, if elected.
Lulu-Briggs, who spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, while unveiling his manifesto, said he will make Port Harcourt the major centre of commerce to conquer the entire eastern and southern Africa just the same way Lagos has conquered West Africa.
He said, “My mission is to restore prosperity to all in Rivers State by laying the foundation for an exponential increase in the GDP of Rivers State from its current annual value of $20billion to about $350billion in 12 to 16 years. Such a monumental vision will require a revolutionary economic programme designed to spark state-wide industrialisation, production and massive job creation.
“The economic destiny of Rivers State is to bring prosperity to the people of the State first and, by extension, to the whole of Eastern Nigeria from the South-South of Nigeria (Delta and Bayelsa States), through Eastern Nigeria and all the way to Borno State in the North-East.
“This is akin to the role of Lagos in bringing prosperity to Western Nigeria, but the historic motive for the creation of our State seems to have been lost toprevious administrations of Rivers Stateplan to realise our untapped fortune by making Rivers State the economic hub of Eastern Nigeria.”
Unveiling his manifesto, Lulu-Briggs set out 23 LGA-specific mini-development plans, which according to him, will deliver accelerated growth and development to every LGA in the State.
The Accord Party governorship hopeful said, “There will be specialised industrial clusters in all LGAs producing along various value chains for local and export markets.Rivers State will see an unprecedented influx of businesses and investors, because we will provide a business-friendly and enabling environment for value-creation and profitability.
“Our tourism-spend will surge upwards as we will interconnect all parts of our state to each other and to the Atlantic Ocean, and harness our tapestry of cultures by stimulating an exquisite combination of cultural centers and calendars through multi-sectoral collaboration.
“As an article of faith, we will rapidly improve our education system to afford our children access to the best education possible, while attracting from other states and abroad, students and families eager to pay competitive fees for top quality education (basic to tertiary) in a conducive socioeconomic environment.
“A chunk of the outward-bound medical traffic will also divert to our state, as we will have world-standard health facilities and expertise,”he said.
“With all parts and sectors of the State being involved in viable production and services, River State’s economy is bound to witness a sharp recovery year-on-year and will radically replace unemployment and poverty with quality jobs and social prosperity aim to expand internally-generated revenue from the present N9bn to about N25bn monthly by the end of the first term in office.
