- If elected, Melaye pledged to implement reforms in the state civil service
- He also promised to prioritize the timely payment of workers’ salaries
Dino Melaye, the candidate representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the upcoming Kogi governorship election, expressed his belief that the state would experience significant positive changes under his leadership.
He made this statement while receiving the report of the party’s Policy Drafting Committee for the Kogi Governorship election in Abuja on Friday.
If elected, Melaye pledged to implement reforms in the state civil service, enhance infrastructure, and establish an Independent Kogi Economic Development Commission.
He also promised to prioritize the timely payment of workers’ salaries, create four new districts, and increase the state’s revenue without burdening the poor with additional taxes.
“The civil service in Kogi State will be reformed and we will pay salaries on the 25th of every month. We will also pay full salary.
“Today in Kogi, there is no middle class. It is only the rich and the poor. Those in government are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer,” Mr Melaye lamented.
The PDP candidate, who accused the state government of diverting funds meant for palliatives to the poor, promised to grant local governments financial autonomy.
“Ten years ago, local government areas in Kogi State were doing projects, rural roads. Today, no local government in Kogi can dig a well.
“Local government have no vehicles, salaries are not paid, some local government secretariats are under lock and key. But we are saying that a new day is coming,” Mr Melaye said.
He promised to harness and commercialise mineral resources, declaring that Kogi was “too blessed to be poor”.
“I brought people from outside Nigeria who did a scientific research and gave me the mineral resources in Kogi. We have 52 mineral resources but only one has been tapped – limestone.
“The rest are just there; we have Uranium. We have the largest deposit of Uranium in Nigeria,” Mr Melaye said.
He said that if elected, he would use the monthly federal allocation for payment of civil salaries, pension, gratuities, promotion, training and retraining, while internally revenue would be used for developmental projects.
“We are going to raise the revenue without taxing the poor,” he said.
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