Olawepo-Hashim Promises South-East Additional State

The presidential candidate of the People’s Trust, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, on Friday promised that within six months of assuming office, he would create a legislative framework for the creation of one more state for the South-East.

He said the step became necessary because only the South-East has five states out of the six geopolitical zones in the country, when others have at least six states.

According to a statement made available to journalists, Olawepo-Hashim made the promise during a visit to Enugu State ahead of the commencement of his nationwide campaign.

The presidential candidate promised the people of the region that he would introduce measures that would heal their wounds and make Nigeria truly united.

He said there was the need for equity in the country.

He said, “2019 elections will be unusual, in the sense that it is almost a referendum on the future of Nigeria, on its peace and stability, on its security, on its continuity and of course, most importantly, about the prosperity of Nigeria.

“The South-East zone is very crucial. The way we handle issues that affect us and are germane to the people would determine whether we will continue to live in unity and peace as an indivisible entity.

“And of course, there have been a lot of wounds in this part of Nigeria. People carry a lot of wounds. Just like a lot of communities in Nigeria and states also carry some kinds of wounds.

“But there is no other place in Nigeria where these wounds are so deep as we have in the South-East of Nigeria.”

The candidate said he was committed to uniting Nigeria and reconciling the people so that they could face the task of national development.

He noted that as long as people from any part of the country feel they were conquered people, so would the difficult task of nation building become more challenging.

Olawepo-Hashim said the purpose of his visit to the South-East was to tell the people that there is a presidential candidate committed to healing the wounds of the region.

He added that his administration would decentralise power in the country within six months by amending the exclusive and the concurrent legislative lists to ensure that states have greater roles in resource mobilisation and deployment.

Apart from the South-East, he said Nigeria needed security urgently now that out of the 19 northern states, only six currently enjoy some level of stability.

“One of the reasons why killings go on endlessly in Nigeria is the fact that nobody is brought to book when they commit murder.

“That is why some say the lives of Nigerians have become so cheap. Under our Presidency, the lives of all Nigerians will be equal,” he said.