News Investigators/ Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Benue, says he will establish a N2 billion interest-free scholarship loan scheme for students if elected.
Mr Aondokaa told newsmen on Monday in Makurdi that the scheme would particularly benefit students from communities affected by insecurity and children of poor farming families whose livelihoods had been disrupted by violence.
He said beneficiaries would repay the loans after securing employment, with technology deployed to track graduates and facilitate repayment over an extended period.
According to him, the initiative will ensure that children whose families have lost their agricultural livelihoods to insecurity do not abandon their education.
Mr Aondokaa said his personal experience of benefiting from a scholarship had strengthened his conviction that government must create opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
On illegal mining, the PDP candidate proposed that Benue should move beyond extracting raw minerals to processing them within the state to create jobs and retain more economic value
He proposed establishing cottage and semi-processing industries around mining sites while ensuring compliance with environmental and factory regulations
Mr Aondokaa also advocated integrating local residents into the mining value chain to enable communities to benefit directly from mineral resources found in their areas.
He said although Benue possessed significant mineral resources, agriculture remained the state’s greatest economic opportunity.
The candidate described groundnut, sesame, soybean and cashew as forms of “green oil”, saying their processing could generate greater economic value for the state.
On youth empowerment and security, Aondokaa proposed involving young people in conflict-affected communities in agricultural production and protection of rural settlements.
He said the government could provide land, seeds, herbicides and soft loans, while beneficiaries would work with communities and security agencies to protect farms and rural settlements.
Mr Aondokaa cited the Niger Delta experience of engaging former militants in pipeline protection as an example of how economic empowerment could reduce criminality.
He also promised to revive major markets affected by insecurity, particularly those around Zaki Biam and other affected communities.
Mr Aondokaa said commercial activities in some markets had declined drastically, with markets that previously received hundreds of trucks daily now receiving only a fraction of that volume.
He proposed collaboration with security agencies and market-monitoring structures to restore confidence among traders, transporters and buyers
The PDP candidate said he would personally visit affected markets during the early stages of his administration to ensure that commercial activities resumed safely.
According to him, reviving markets will boost agricultural production, increase internally generated revenue and provide young people with legitimate economic opportunities.
NAN