•‘It’s possible to build in difficult times’
•North’s Christian forum endorses Tinubu/Shettima
•Cross River APC crisis resolved
All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday unveiled a funding strategy for infrastructure revolution in the Southsouth geo-political zone.
Also yesterday, Tinubu’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and Governors Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Aminu Masari (Katsina) and Nasiru El-Rufai (Kaduna), wooed the Northern Christians for Tinubu/Shettima ticket in Kaduna.
At the Calabar parley, Tinubu, who also reconciled warring chieftains in the state, said he had an edge over his rivals because of his honesty and sincerity of purpose.
Stressing that moving Nigeria forward is a task that must be accomplished, the APC candidate said: “I am a progressive. Progressives are the ones to drive Nigeria forward. We will work with a team of visioners, intellectuals, and committed ones that can build our country.”
On how he intends to fund infrastructure development, Tinubu said: “We create long-term money and face it squarely.
“Change the fiscal confusion between monetary policy and fiscal policy. Be accountable, and block the loopholes. Untangle the bottlenecks; accelerate processing, answer questions; timely regularisation of money and treasury notes amongst others.”
Tinubu’s explanations elicited applause from the audience.
At the meeting were Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong; APC National Women Leader Dr. Betta Edu; and former Cross River State Commissioner for Finance and senatorial candidate for Cross River South District Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr. Others were former APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, Senator Victor Udoma Egba, former Governor Godswill Akpabio, former Petroleum Minister Don Etiebet, Minister of State Power, Jeddy Agba; Minister of State Labour, Festus Keyamo; former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Nuhu Ribadu; TeTFUND Chairman Kashim Ibrahim-Imam and former House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole.
Tinubu urged the electorate in Cross River to vote for him and all the candidates of the party. He spoke about the rich natural endowment and resources in the state, assurring that his administration, if voted into office, will create wealth.
He expressed delight at the Waterfront reserves of Calabar and the rich forest reserves in the central and northern parts of the state.
Tinubu said: “Cross River Waterfront can make a lot of money for the state. Calabar Water front can be better than what you have in Miami in USA.”
Tinubu, who also resolved the crisis in the Cross River APC, invited Senator John Owan Enoh on stage and prevailed on him to discontinue his case against the APC governorship candidate, Bassey Otu, and Mary Ekpee.
He advised them to work harmoniously with Ayade.
‘I’ll end poverty in Nigeria’
Tinubu promised to conquer poverty in Nigeria, if elected in 2023.
He said that he would deploy all the human and material resources God had bestowed on the country to move it out of poverty.
The presidential candidate, who noted that education remained the greatest tool to fight poverty, said each state of the federation was blessed with abundant natural resources, all of which would be deployed in changing the fortune of the country.
He, however, pointed out that in doing that, there was the need for people to remain united and stop the destruction of what God had deposited in the country to enhance its greatness.
Tinubu said: “My quest to progressively drive Nigeria forward is the only reason I am running; no other person is running with me.
“Those who say they are running have no iota of honesty in them; they can’t keep to their promises; all they are interested in is to insult me and yet, they don’t have facts.
“I am a wrestler, but I don’t wrestle with just anybody; my only concern is to move Nigeria forward.”
The former Lagos governor decried the slow pace of growth and development in the country, adding that his administration would turn around its fortune.
He promised to unite Nigerians and to ensure steady growth and progress.
Tinubu added: “Moving Nigeria forward is a task that must be done, and anger, division, breaking apart will not solve it; it can only be achieved by being together.
“Let us conquer hunger rather than allowing hunger to conquer us. So, let’s come together and make great wealth for the nation and our people,” he said.
The candidate said Cross River had the potential to be the tourism hub of Africa.
‘We can build in difficult time’
Alluding to the experience of the United States during its civil war, Tinubu charged Nigerians and party members to focus on what the country can accomplish.
He said: “We can build in the middle of difficulty. The U.S. was fighting the civil war and still building rail track. We should focus on the things that we can accomplish. We have a lot – there is the waterfront here. We have minerals here. We have arable land, we must conquer hunger, we cannot allow hunger conquer us.”
Tinubu pointed out that for the nation to experience economic recovery, there should be less focus on crude oil while harnessing other areas.
The APC candidate promised to work towards industrialisation while also focusing on the production of goods and services across the country.
“My campaign is built on the firm conviction that our greatest good and best deeds still lie in front of us and not in our past.
“The industrialisation of our economy represents a most vital step towards achieving the Nigeria of our dreams.
“From its very beginnings, our nation’s economy was established on an incomplete foundation. It was built to rely too heavily on oil exports. This means we have always experienced a large gap in the national economic structure. Greater industrialisation shall fill this gap through the production of more and better goods which improve our standard of living while creating better jobs, providing workers with a living wage and establishing businesses that will drive this economy for generations to come.
“Because of this gap in our economic structure and the resultant lack of economic activity, Nigeria has experienced unacceptably high rates of unemployment for several decades. The problems this causes for our society are not limited to simply slowing our economic progress. This gap has affected our nation in profound ways, straining the social fabric in ways that no nation wishes for. Now is the time to repair these fissures our country should never have had to experience.”
Ayade stressed the need for the country to go back to agriculture, if the desire to conquer hunger must be achieved.
He expressed the regret that with its vast land, Nigeria had not attained its full potential, particularly in the area of agriculture.
The governor added: “It is a pity that we are just using our huge cocoa to import poverty, because we don’t have the industry to add value to the produce.
“The same with our huge bitumen deposit, because we import bitumen used for road construction.
“This is why I say that Tinubu is being summoned by God to come and change Nigeria’s narrative.
“He did it in Lagos when he conquered the Atlantic Ocean. He also did many other great things in the state and I am optimistic that he will replicate same in Nigeria, if elected president.”
“Our industrial policy will prioritise strategic industries vital to the development of our national economy. We will grow the nation’s industrial base to provide decent jobs and improving wages to our nation’s ever increasing urban population.”
Tinubu said primary and secondary industrial hubs would be created across each geopolitical zone in the country.
He also promised to bring Cross River into the industrialisation plan through the state’s resources.
“Our industrial plan encourages manufacturing on a massive scale across the country. Nigeria will become known as a nation that produces high quality goods worthy of export to anywhere in the world. We shall use an array of policy measures. On the fiscal side, we shall employ tax credits and holidays, youth employment incentives, import relief, export credits and well-tailored subsidies where necessary.
“Cross River State will play a leading role in our economic uplift. This state is blessed with limestone, clay, salt, tin, granite, basalt, quartzite, and kaolin deposits in commercial quantities.
“Our policies will afford local artisans and craftsmen throughout the region the necessary tools to provide for their families and, ultimately, boost overall economic activity for the national good. I enjoyed the stimulating cultural entertainment the performers displayed. This is a town hall meeting of great minds, brains and visions. My concern is the development of Nigeria, this is a talented nation and moving this country forward is a task that must be done. Let’s put together and conquer hunger by using the God’s great space on agriculture.”
(THENATION)
