The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the forthcoming Edo State governorship election, Olumide Akpata has identified some areas he would urgently address to put smiles on the faces of the people of the state if elected governor.

Some of the areas he pinpointed while having a media chat with journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Benin, were agriculture, security, health, education etc.

Akpata said his government will be centred around the welfare of the people adding that the slogan of the party which is “papa, mama and pikin” will be followed to the letter.

He said his government would not turn a blind eye to projects earlier embarked upon by his predecessor if they are aimed at the welfare of the people because the money used in executing them belongs to them who are the taxpayers.

The governorship candidate also said he is a proponent of the local government autonomy.

He said at the moment, the local government councils are strangulated financially due to the absence of local government autonomy adding that while granting them their autonomy, the local government council chairmen and their councillors must remain in their domains.

Akpata added that the roads in the state will be attended to whether federal or state provided it has a direct impact on the people of the state.

He said he believes when the federal roads that have a direct impact on the people in the state are fixed, the federal government can reimburse the state instead of allowing the citizens to suffer unnecessarily just as he said he will not use the taxpayers money for things that will not add value to their lives.