President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has concluded his zonal tour for Lango, urging the people of the sub-region to actively engage in wealth creation through the Parish Development Model program.
“This is the time to get out of poverty,” President Museveni asserted. “The NRM government is telling you that this word; PDM is your solution to your problems.”
The government is investing heavily in the PDM program, with shs. 100 million allocated per parish per year, totaling shs.500 million in 5 years.
“The ones who got first will start paying back with a small interest of 6% per year, and in 2 years, the interest will be shs.120,000,” President Museveni explained. “This is really free money.”
President Museveni emphasized the importance of proper planning and resource allocation, reminding leaders to count the number of homesteads in each parish.
“I have told our people; you count how many homesteads are in the parish,” he said. “If there are many homesteads, we can add money, instead of shs.100 million, we shall send shs.200 million.”
The President also highlighted the significance of peace in wealth creation, noting that the NRM government has established total peace in all corners of the country.
“When I say peace, you people of Alebtong and Otuke know better,” President Museveni said. “You were very much disturbed by the Karamojong cattle rustlers, but you are now saying not even a goat has been stolen from your area.”
President Museveni cautioned against mixing development with wealth creation, emphasizing that development is for the government, while wealth creation is on an individual basis.
He also stressed that jobs are found in wealth creation, citing examples of successful entrepreneurs who have created employment opportunities.
“Now the young people also talk about jobs, but many people don’t know that it is wealth creation which produces jobs,” President Museveni observed.
The President assured the people of Alebtong that the government would prioritize infrastructure development, including roads, once the oil revenues start flowing.
“We would have done this road from Lira-Aloi-Apala-Adwari-Patong up to Abim, but we had to divert money to PDM,” President Museveni explained.
On health, President Museveni emphasized the importance of prevention, citing immunization programs as a game-changer in the health sector.
“I don’t drink alcohol,” he said. “That is one of the reasons God has kept my health.”
The President also vowed to address the issue of high dropout rates in schools due to school fees.
“We are going to get time to discuss this seriously,” he said.
President Museveni cautioned against misusing wetlands, advising people to engage in fish farming instead of growing rice.
He thanked the people of Alebtong for endorsing him as the NRM Presidential candidate and assured them that the matter would be discussed by the relevant party organs.
The event was attended by various dignitaries, including the Vice President, H.E Jessica Alupo, and saw the crossing over of opposition leaders to the NRM .
