Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Uche Nnaji, has promised to end multiple taxation if elected.

At a town hall meeting with the business community in Enugu on Friday, Mr Nnaji said that multiple taxes were impeding businesses in the state.

Mr Nnaji said the need to return Enugu to its glorious years as the third best in the country was what motivated him to enter the governorship race.

He noted that bad governance over the years had meant that monies misappropriated had brought about underdevelopment.

He said he had visited 500 churches and more than 400 communities in the state to interact with the electorate to establish their needs.

The governorship candidate urged the organised private sector to support him to ensure that multiple taxations became a thing of the past.

He also decried that the unemployment rate in Enugu stood at 53 per cent, while underemployment stood at about 21 per cent.

He said he would focus on agriculture-based industries, massive structural transformation, and the establishment of a development bank among other novelties.

“I will dedicate 10,000 hectares of land for unemployed youths and give them start-up grants to begin their own businesses. If I emerge as governor of Enugu State, I will bring water scarcity to an end,” he said.

Mr Nnaji thanked the Enugu Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), organiser of the town hall meeting, for the privilege to speak with the Enugu business community.

In his remarks, President of ECCIMA, Jasper Nduagwuike, said the town hall meeting afforded the APC gubernatorial candidate an opportunity to interact with business owners and with professional groups.

Mr Nduagwuike noted that the engagement would allay the fears of the business community on how the candidate would address its concerns if elected.

He appealed to Mr Nnaji to ensure a turnaround in the ease of doing business in Enugu, saying it had not been rosy.

Chairman of the event, Ugo Chima, commended the candidate for interacting with business owners and professional groups, and urged him to sustain the engagement when elected.

He asked Mr Nnaji to partner with the organised private sector, including business owners, considering their roles in economic development and in job creation.

(NAN)