Prince Mona (right) with his wife Zahrah
By Joseph Amedu, Lokoja (Contributing editor)
A frontline aspirant of the All Progressives Party (APC) for the November 16 Kogi State governorship election, Prince Mona Mustapha Audu, has promised to work towards the emancipation of the state from poverty, other economic deprivations and social injustice.
He made the pledge in Lokoja, the state capital, when he kick-started his campaign for the governorship polls with a “Walk for Freedom” on June 16 with many loyalists and party faithful participating.
Mona, whose father, late Prince Abubakar Audu, was the past immediate governor of the state, and was coasting home to the state governorship contest success before he died four years ago, promised to end the long sufferings of Kogi workers and others languishing in poverty and want as a result of poverty and deprivations visited on them by an uncaring government.
He accused those in power today not having the vision of his late father for an economical prosperous and welfare Kogi State.
Cheered by thousands of his supporters and admirers drawn from the 21 local government areas of the state, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and other states after undertaking “Trek to freedom” from the NTA square to his family residence at GRA, amidst tight security, he declared: “It pains me that this great state highly endowed continues to degenerate on all fronts. The state that provided Nigeria its first capital, the state that is so blessed by God has never witnessed poverty and suffering of its people on unprecedented scale being encountered by our people today. It pains me that civil servants continue to die helplessly as a result of mismanagement of our common wealth. At the end of every darkness, there must be light at the end of the tunnel.
“Today is our freedom day. My administration will stand for freedom. By the grace of God Almighty I will make this state great again,” he stressed.
Prince Mona promised to make the welfare of the youths and women his priority, saying he will enunciate programmes and policies that will create jobs for the teeming youths and women if he gets the mandate of his people.
On women in particular, he promised to reserve 50 percent of his cabinet and other key appointments to them.
Speaking in a similar vein, his wife, Zahrah Mustapha Audu, explained that her husband’s campaign slogan: “Kogi 1st for All, Kogi for all: Mona de come” was borne out of the urgent need and desire to heed to the call and tears of all us compatriots for the rescue of the state.”
She added: “Freedom where economic independence of the state will be secured so we are not held hostage to the dependency culture of allocation from the Federation Account. Take a look at the blue print of Lagos state policy on diversification for enhanced sustainability, or freedom from saboteurs that are threatening the survival of our collectively-owned state.”
Mrs. Audu said her husband was leading a struggle, to among other things, ensure freedom for all Kogi people to afford the same health care coverage irrespective of their social status; to provide voice for the voiceless; to ensure accountability of those entrusted with authorities in the state.
She stressed that her husband will not fail the people of the state as he and his team will work not only for the economic liberation of the state, but equally for “freedom for credibility, and bringing Kogi to the league of developed states in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”
