₦airaland Forum

All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday assured Nigerians and stakeholders of the party from South-South region that he would lead Nigeria to build back better and stronger even in difficult time if elected next President.

Tinubu made this declaration in Calabar at a TownHall meeting with party stakeholders on national transformation and industrialisation at the Cultural Centre, Calabar.

Drawing parallel from 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 US 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."

Speaking further at the well-attended event that had the Vice-Presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, Governor Ben Ayade, Director-General of the campaign council and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, Deputy Director-General and former APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, Senator Victor Idoma Egba, former Governor Godswill Akpabio, former Petroleum Minister Don Etiebet, Minister of State Power, Jeddy Agba, and Minister of State Labour, Festus Keyamo, Tinubu pointed out that for the nation to experience economic recovery, less focus should be placed on crude oil while harnessing other areas.

Others at the event were former EFCC Chairman Nuhu Ribadu, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, Chairman of TeTFUND, former Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, APC National Woman Leader, Beta Edu and other party chieftains.

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,” Tinubu said.

“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.”

Speaking on how they can better achieve this, 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."

A major highlight of the TownHall was when the APC candidate brought Senator John Owen Enoh and Barrister Ekpere Mary and reunited them with Governor Ayade and others.

He described Cross Rivers as a land of joy and love.

“Cross River is blessed in Agriculture. Oil palm, rubber, cocoa, cashews, cassava, yam, rice, plantain, and bananas are abundant and already being processed, strengthening the agro-allied value chain in ways that create better jobs and raise the standard of living,” he added.

He also praised Governor Ayade for already starting the industrialisation drive in the state.

“The Ayade-led administration has done tremendous work to develop the processing capacity within the state with the construction of the Ogoja Rice Mill, Ikom Cocoa Mill, Rice Seed and seedling centre.

“The Governor has also gone further to develop the infrastructure for the movement of goods by land with the proposed Super-Highway, by sea with the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport, and by air with the construction of the Obudu Cargo Airport."

In his own address at the event, Governor Ayade said the focus of the next administration should be on human beings first and Gross Domestic Product as a measure of economic growth should shift to Human Happiness Index, adding that government must focus on industrialisation to create jobs for the masses.

"We must move from GDP to the Human Happiness Index. When God has empowered you, it is for the people," said Ayade

The Director-General of APC Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Lalong assured the people that Asiwaju Tinubu has capacity to provide the leadership that will create prosperity for all Nigerians.

"Asiwaju turned mammy water in Lagos ocean to Money Water through his brains," he added.

Tinubu Media Office
Tunde Rahman
December 20, 2022

Peter Obi’s Labour Party is yet again the subject of mockery over an embarrassing announcement of December 2023, months after the conclusion of the election and emergence of a new president, as dates for political rallies. The embarrassing faux pas was contained in a statement issued to communicate its sudden postponement of its Ekiti and Ondo rallies after suffering a poor turnout in Kogi, a key middle belt state.

The party’s official account said, “due to some unavoidable and unusual circumstances beyond control, our earlier scheduled presidential campaign rally in Ekiti and Ondo for 15th and 16th December 2023 are hereby POSTPONED.”

The baffling announcement reinforced the suspicion of Nigerians that the party, which is now dominated by migrant political actors from the PDP, was both unprepared to prosecute the election and too wracked by internal confusion and dysfunctionality to be trusted with public administration.

The fact that the schoolboy error came after an unsuccessful rally in Kogi state made it all damaging for Peter Obi and the Labour Party as ordinary Nigerians, some of whom voiced their disapproval on social media, deemed a clear and obvious indication of the party’s appointment with failure at the polls.

Crowd turnout at the party’s Kogi rally was abysmally low despite attempts to drive attendance on social media where the party has conducted much of its campaign despite its low adoption in the country, especially at the grassroots which accounts for the most voters.

An analyst reviewing the significance of the event said “it was the definitive proof that the Labour Party will fail to flatter. The party lacks the network, structure, popularity, and experience to not only run an effective campaign but to win a federal election.”

Another said the failure was a stark reminder of the Labour Party’s “institutional knowledge deficit” as it is a “rag-tag assembly of political upstarts and has-beens in search of relevance and an easy path to power.”

Although the party blamed “unavoidable and unusual circumstances beyond control” for its postponement, sources within the party claimed that it became necessary as the party’s state rounds have become “sapped of the initial verve and energy and a sense is building among Nigerians that either the APC or PDP stand a realistic chance of clinching victory and thus better protect their interests in 2023.”

The postponement, according to the source, is a desperate attempt by the party to buy some time and put its house in order – particularly in the face of multiple financial scandals that have shredded its reputation and strengthened suspicion that the ‘Obi movement’ may be little more than an attempt by some people to milk the public for quick cash.Although the party blamed “unavoidable and unusual circumstances beyond control” for its postponement, sources within the party claimed that it became necessary as the party’s state rounds have become “sapped of the initial verve and energy and a sense is building among Nigerians that either the APC or PDP stand a realistic chance of clinching victory and thus better protect their interests in 2023.”

The postponement, according to the source, is a desperate attempt by the party to buy some time and put its house in order – particularly in the face of multiple financial scandals that have shredded its reputation and strengthened suspicion that the ‘Obi movement’ may be little more than an attempt by some people to milk the public for quick cash.

All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), on Tuesday, unveiled a mobile channel for crowdfunding for the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-Kashim Shettima presidential project ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The QR code-enabled platform was initiated to give Nigerians who believe and share the vision of Tinubu-Shettima presidential ticket to contribute towards realisation of the project.

The APC presidential campaign team targets to raise N5 billion from the crowdfunding platform known as “BlessMi”, launched at the Civic Centre on Victoria Island, Lagos.

Donors can freely donate to the project, using the QR Code. The amount ranges from the least currency denomination to any amount affordable.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, speaking at the fundraiser, described the approach as another “creative way” of using the technology to democratise funding for political activities. He said the mobile platform would offer opportunity to Nigerians supporting APC to be part of the process of forming the next Federal Government.

The Governor said every little contribution received from the channel would matter in funding the APC’s presidential campaign council’s activities across the federation.

He said: “There is no better place to launch this innovative project than Lagos, which is the nation’s hub of innovation and technology. This fundraising effort speaks to our support and those who share the vision of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu-Kashim Shettima presidential ticket to have an input to the realisation of the project. The ticket strongly considers the interest of every Nigerian, regardless of social status or ethnic origin.

“This campaign is about people and people have been asking how they can participate to contribute their own effort to the overall success of the campaign. This is why we used our creative minds and leveraged technology as innovative ways to create access for people towards supporting our party’s presidential campaign. People can donate through their mobile phones and be part of this campaign. Every donation, no matter how small the amount is, will matter and take its proper place.”

Sanwo-Olu maintained that the Tinubu-Shettima ticket represented a pan-Nigerian mandate, noting that the APC candidate remained the most competent of all presidential contenders.

The donations received at the fundraiser were transparently displayed on digital screens, which showed the donors’ names and amount contributed.

APC Vice Presidential candidate, Sen. Shettima said the initiative was aimed at leveraging the nation’s diversity to inflame loyalty in the people.

The former Borno State Governor urged Nigerians to vote for APC, stressing that only the party’s presidential ticket boasted of candidates with practical ideas to move the country forward.

Shettima said the objective of the project was to bring average citizens into the mission of building a better country for the youth and improve lives.

He said: “We have to look beyond the fabulous things happening around and look at somebody that wish to push and elevate the nation to the next level. And with all sense of modesty, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is the best material we have and we need in this nation to stand.

“I urge Nigerians to look beyond sentiment, look beyond the lies that are being peddled and make the best choice for the nation and next year will be a very great opportunity for Nigerians to make the right choice.”

Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, hailed the APC Fund Raising Committee for the initiative, noting that the mobile platform would democratise election funding.

SIGNED

GBOYEGA AKOSILE

CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY