By: Felix Ikpotor
A frontline governorship aspirant in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe has stated that he will run a government that will give Rivers people an opportunity to create wealth and live a comfortable life if elected.
Abe stated this while speaking at a workshop organised by the Freedom House on the theme, ” The Importance of Investment: Economic and Political Implications in Rivers State,” held in Port Harcourt.
He noted that when the government is doing what it ought to do for the people and they are able to pay their bills and live a comfortable life; society would be stable and peaceful.
“Everybody needs money that’s why when we walk together and we create a government here in Rivers State that serves the people of Rivers State, the first responsibility of that government would be to ensure that we create an opportunity for Rivers people to make money,” he stated.
He said when leaders become afraid that if citizens have money they will threaten the government is because they are not leading by ideas.
“Instead of threatening other citizens with hunger and poverty, you empower the citizen because the more money and opportunities they have, the more stable the society becomes, the more peaceful the society becomes. It is when people are poor and have no access to wealth that the society becomes dangerous and an endangered place for everybody. So any government that actually wants peace, stability and security must invest in opportunities for the citizens to make money,” Abe said.
Abe who noted that money is important to both government and citizens, emphasized that any government that can’t create and maximise wealth is a burden on the people.
“Money is important to the state. Any government that is unable to generate and maximise income is already a debt weight on the citizens because it will suck from them. But a government that is able to generate and expand opportunities for the citizens and at the same time grows its capacity to be able to spend from, that government is an advantage to everybody in the community.
“We must run a government whereby people that are not in government will be able to pay their own bills and live their own lives. The reason why everybody is struggling to be something in government is because outside the safety and security of government, life is unbearable for the average person,” he said.
The governorship hopeful however, advised politicians and young people to also think of how to make wealth outside government.
“Everybody in any government cannot be a commissioner, local government chairmen etc. The real opportunity for people to get into government comes in every eight years not four and even at that, the people that end up having their bills paid by the government are very few. So making a realistic plan for your life must go beyond making a plan to be a politician or a government person” Abe cautioned.
He further urged participants to take responsibility for their lives and make every effort to make wealth.
One of the facilitators of the workshop, Dele Oladapo, a business and investment expert said the focus of the workshop is to teach people the benefit of investment to better their lives and develop the state.
