Abia State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate Kelechi Anosike has proposed a series of institutional reforms aimed at turning the South East into a stronger regional economic and political bloc.
Speaking at the South East Zonal Summit of the Nigerian Institute of Management in Enugu, Anosike said the region needed stronger institutions, better management and measurable accountability.
He argued that long term development depended less on individual political leaders than on institutions capable of surviving changes in government.
Anosike proposed a system of performance based governance in which public officials and institutions would be assessed against clear indicators.
He called on the Nigerian Institute of Management to publish an annual South East Governance Report Card measuring states on infrastructure, ease of doing business, fiscal management, security innovation and digital governance.
He said such an assessment could create healthy competition among governors.
Anosike also urged the institute to serve as a regional governance think tank and provide structured training for commissioners, aides and local government officials.
On entrepreneurship, he identified informality as a major weakness in the regional economy.
He proposed an agency in Abia that would register and certify artisans through short professional training programmes if he became governor.
Anosike said certification could improve the earning power of electricians, plumbers, mechanics and other skilled workers and make them more competitive internationally.
He also raised concern about succession planning in family owned businesses, arguing that many enterprises collapsed after founders died.
The governorship candidate called for programmes that would help entrepreneurs prepare younger family members for ownership and management.
On education, he advocated a shift from qualification focused learning toward technical and productive skills.
He proposed management clubs in primary and secondary schools to introduce children to leadership, financial responsibility and organisational skills.
Anosike also called for stronger cooperation with the South East Development Commission, a regional management academy and wider adoption of digital governance.
He said the ultimate goal should be to convert the region’s strong individual entrepreneurial culture into collective economic and political bargaining power.
