By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
Like the Biblical verse of Isaiah 6:8, where it is written, “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me,” Patience Ndidi-Key, candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, and only female contender for the number one slot into Edo State Government House, like a “Lone voice in the wilderness,” on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, spoke with members of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Edo State Council, at the NUJ Conference Hall, (operating under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ,), offering up herself as the requisite tool needed for development.
She stated that she is poised to lift the state into its desired pristine El Dorado, if voted into power at the gubernatorial poll taking place on Saturday, September 21.
Patience Ndidi-Key while addressing NAWOJians, the body of female journalists, led by Comrade Adesuwa Ehimuan, stated her will is to prioritize and galvanize on human capital development to make Edo State the entrepreneurial and industrialized hub of choice in Nigeria through setting up of industries in locales where raw materials are sourced to make for expansion through networking with people with the technological knowhow to drive the process of knowledge transfer and production.
This growth process, she said, includes networking with Edos in the diaspora in order to harness their wealth of knowledge and connection; creating a healthy environment for investment by the diaspora communities right here in Edo State, to make for capital growth and revenue creation and also aligning with public/private partnership backed by the shift to use of thermal energy for running of such preconceived industries based on reliance on coal, oil and gas and other local resources which relatively have few negative impacts on the environment.
Harnessing the fact that she was interfacing with NAWOJ, a body of professional women journalists who pulled their weight in the media space, Key said her administration would not stick with the present 35 percent affirmative action for women in governance but would work instead with 50 percent based on qualification and expertise, due to a merit driven process, for gender balance and inclusiveness.
At a time being black, especially being “Haitian” and resident in America raises issues which deal with social consciousness and need for proper integration based on the backlash that trailed the outcome of a presidential debate which involved a front line candidate and former President, Donald Trump who raised a now classified false alarm wherein he alerted, “They are eating the dogs, they are eating the cats, they are eating the pets, of the people that live there…” in Springfield, where immigrants got slurred wrongly for eating pets of native owners of the country, Key, who doubles as a “former President of the Nigerian American Association in the Diaspora and current President of the Nigeria Diaspora Chamber of Commerce” voiced on the need to integrate new entrants into the diaspora community through a network that trains and provides them with requisite jobs and providing them with options for integrating into registered associations that carry identities which resonate with their Nigerian roots to make such people more comfortable in their new abode.
On the other hand, for aliens, especially those who felt forlorn due to the antics of a ring of human traffickers, she encouraged such not to feel alone, as she went on to mention her previous efforts to tackle human trafficking at the base roots in Edo State, a quest she said she is still passionate about but now realizes that such efforts only work with support of key institutions.
Digressing and pointing out facts which she opined will make society work, Key stated, “It is not just going to school. America is built with skills – entrepreneurial skills, agile project management and even cyber security skills” hence a pressing need to add character and communication skills and interpersonal relations skills to our way of life; an attitudinal concept which she said we lack here in Edo State, which is needed for growth.
“I have been in big institutions where people don’t know how to relate with their customers, these are needed here for businesses to thrive and generate sustainable revenue for Edo state. It is not just about building capital, but building character.”
Key, who stated that she is a health practitioner, said empathy and compassion are key watchwords which would guide her public life if elected, hence, aside waiting for the N16 billion or more allocation from the federal government and security vote to carry out projects, she is intent about sourcing counterpart funds which will be channelled towards modernising eduction through use of technology at all tiers, encouraging interpersonal communication skills, and interpersonal relationships, also ensuring the functionality of existing health facilities aside setting up new ones across the 18 local government areas; training and retraining of health personnel, erecting of mobile primary healthcare clinics and primary healthcare centres and family healthcare which is efficient and pocket friendly.
She gave a final punch, “Edo state is at a crossroad based on the inequalities that plague our education, health sector.
“I will make policies that ensure children receive quality education, women access affordable healthcare and every family can live in relative security.
“I am here to serve, to lead and affect change.”
