From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Ahead of the 2023 general election, the First lady of Ondo State- Chief Mrs. Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu has join the race for the Imo East senatorial district (Owerri Zone) .
Mrs. Akeredolu who is the founder of the BEMORE Foundation, Ondo Widows Care as well as Taekwondo Foundation hails from Emeabiam in the Owerri West Council Area of the State.
Fondly called ‘Ada Owere’ (Owerri First Daughter), Akarerdolu made her ambition known at an interactive session with members of the State Correspondent’s Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) during which she pledged to tackle the worrisome cases of infant and maternal mortality arising nonavailability of functional health care centres and life saving equipments.
Relying on experience within and outside the country and exposure to modernity, Mrs Akeredolu noted that provision of all seasoned motorable roads in such areas as Nekede, Iheagwa, and her own community Emeabiam which play host to such institutions as Federal Polytechnics Nekede, and Federal University of Technology Owerri should not be compromised with and lamented that successive administrations in the state had continued to o neglect these areas acclaimed as centres of tourism
If elected as a senator, she said that as a village girl who has maintained regular contact with her people and had taken a critical appraisal of their challenges, she would embark on human capital development, provision of basic necessities of life, stop the pollution of the Otamiri river and also ensure regular evacuation of refuse in all looks and crannies of the zone.
Additionally, she would take steps to assist rural farmers with modern agricultural implement , promote girl child education, stem child killer disease, youth unemployment and restiveness.
“There is lack of compassion and understanding of how life can be made meaningful for our people in this century hence the need for a wake up call, Leadership should be not be gender based but neutral”.
On whether her marriage to a non indigene of the state would not impede her ambition, the Ondo First Lady argued that being a bonifide indigen of the state who has already endeared herself to the people and has touched many lives, she was emboldened to join the race to enhance their wellbeing.