By Marlikberry,

Valentine Ozigbo, the frontrunner in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship race, has emphasised the importance of cutting the cost of governance, especially in a period of economic uncertainty.

Mr Ozigbo asserted this on Friday, January 22, 2021, in Awka, the Anambra State capital, during an interactive session with members of a political think tank, the Center for Strategic Leadership & Youth Orientation (CENSTLEYO).

In his address, Ozigbo remarked that prudence in resource management is essential to any organisation or institution’s progress and governance is not exempt.

He, further, asserted that for Anambra State to record a significant leap in the quality of governance, it needs a prudent leader who would manage the resources of the state using modern financial management tools.

Ozigbo, who is the immediate past President and Group CEO of Transcorp Plc, also reeled out some policy prescriptions which if implemented, will cause Anambra State to thrive for a “shared prosperity and progress”.

“If we can cut waste and direct these funds to areas wherein they would be more impactful and valuable, we would be on the right track to development,” Ozigbo said.

“We need to fix our schools, roads, health sectors, and create social safety nets for our people and to achieve these, public funds must be channelled to the right projects.

“Funding government officials and their lifestyle with a significant percentage of the public budget is an imbalance in public spending that is not for the good of the majority,” Ozigbo argued.

“We must entrench competence as a staple in governance. We must seek ways to synergise and embed the spirit of collaboration in our system,” he went on saying.

“We must learn to collaborate with the private sector and development financial institutions actively. The right mix will ensure we spend less and achieve more.

“For businesses to thrive, we must provide the right environment and infrastructure to aid competitiveness in the business space,” the respected business leader added.

The respected business mogul further intimated the gathering of over two hundred youths of his grand vision of industrialising Anambra State using young people if he is elected as governor of the state.

Also speaking at the event, the founder of CENSTLEYO, Felix Imah, stressed the importance of involving youths in governance. He noted that young people ware unhappy with the status quo and are looking forward to becoming an “active part of the change they eagerly seek”.

Valentine Ozigbo is the Founder of eponymously named Valentine Chineto Ozigbo (VCO) Foundation, one of Nigeria’s leading non-profit organisations in Nigeria, focused on empowering women and youth, and mentoring future leaders.