Rt. Hon Barr Emmanuel Jime is currently the MD/CEO of Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority and a former member, House of Representatives for Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency of Benue State.
He has contributed significantly to President Buhari’s diversification agenda and reiterated how pivotal NEPZA is to actualising it.
When he was a member in the House of Representatives, he made commendable impact on his constituency. He is a man who loves his people. While he was there, he organized constituency briefings all the times which I also had the opportunity to attend one at Aminu Isa Kontagora Theatre Complex, Makurdi, Benue State in 2009.
He did them because he recognized the fact that the Mandate he held was the mandate of the people and accountable to them.
Barr Jime made tremendous impact on the people of his constituency. He worked toward three earth dams; established a number of solar powered boreholes; provided electricity running from Makurdi township to about 30 kilometers into the rural areas of Makurdi and Guma starting from North Bank upwards to Tatyogh and Yogbo in Guma LGA heading to Udei. He ensured the electrification from Daudu to Kaseyo and from Ayilamo to Peyigh in Saav.
He ensured the construction of classroom blocks in about three community secondary schools spread across Guma as well.
He initiated a scholarship scheme in 2007. The scheme took more persons on board from 105 in 2007 to 500 in 2012 to 934 beneficiaries in 2013 all from his constituency. In 2013, he extended it to cover all of Benue State.
He spent over N12.5 million in Scholarship. He also sponsored many students of Makurdi and Guma who were at Law School and each of them went home with N100,000.
Hon Jime takes education to be a critical component in the making of society. He believes that individuals who are educated ultimately turn out to benefit the society in which they live in.
With his track record, If Barr Jime becomes Benue State Governor, I strongly believe he will not owe salaries that legitimately belong to Benue State workers. He will take the issues of pensioners more seriously; will reposition Benue State University among other higher institutions in the state; will embark on result-oriented projects among others.
Above all, Hon Jime is a man who is very humble and can sacrifice anything to put smiles on the faces of the people of Benue State. I am supporting this man because of his track record and who he is.
Let us all give him the support he needs for a better and greater Benue to be achieved in 2019 and beyond.
By Terfa Naswem