*To industrialize Ogun State
*PDP ’ll stop at nothing from recovering Nigeria – Ayu
*His economic blueprint’ll address rising food prices – Aniagwu
*My administration’ll invest in education, Atiku tells Nigerian students
Former Vice-President and the People’s Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku has said that his government will devolve more powers to state and local governments if elected president.
Atiku who was in Ogun state on his campaign tour also vowed to bring more industries to the state and create jobs to the teaming unemployed youths.
According to the presidential candidate, “We have promised to devolve more powers to Ogun state and to the local governments in Ogun. We have promised to ensure the industrialization of Ogun state because Ogun state is endowed with so many mineral resources and in order to create jobs and prosperity, the federal government under the PDP government will make sure that the exploitation of those mineral resources and industrialization of Ogun is made a priority.
“We want to appeal to you to come out and vote and make sure that your votes are counted and also protect your vote. The APC government has failed us and therefore, it is our responsibility to make sure that we don’t return them to power.”
Also, the national chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu warned of dare consequences for states that have continued to obstruct its campaign train, insisting that PDP will stop at nothing from recovering the country.
He said, “Anywhere we go and they don’t give us a venue, it shows that APC is afraid. They were afraid of us in Osun state, they refused to give us the stadium, we did our rally on the road and we won. Anywhere we go and it is an APC controlled government, they make sure that we don’t get a venue. They are worried that they are going to lose power. We were in Ekiti, they refused to give us the appropriate venue, they closed all filling stations, there were no buses, that is to tell you that PDP is bouncing back. We are stronger than ever and because of that, no body should worry about whatever obstacle they put in our way.
“We will crush them at the polling booth, we will crush them at the ward, we will crush them at the local government and we will crush them nationally. We must recover this country we must rebuild Nigeria because we want a better living condition for our people.
“We know you are suffering, many of you can’t even eat in your houses, life is unbearable for you, you can’t even find fuel. I want to assure you that when Atiku Abubakar comes back to power, life will return better to those days that the PDP were able to create.
The Director General of the Campiagn and the Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal also maintained that Atiku is the only candidate that has proffered ways and means through which he is going to restructure Nigeria.
“There will be more powers to the state, there will be more powers to local government, there will be more resources, there will be more devolution of powers and devolution of resources for the development of our country.
“When you elect Atiku Abubakar, you are sure that you have a CEO that will drive your interest and engender good governance in Nigeria. The others, I believe that you cannot trust them. They don’t have the type of experience that Atiku Abubakar is having, of governance at the federal level. He is the most prepared of the candidates.”
However, Spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Charles Aniagwu says the economic blueprint of the party’s Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar would address rising food inflation in the country.
He said that Atiku was the only presidential candidate that is into agricultural production and would stimulate certain processes which will include soft loans, access to land, fertilisers, farm implements as well as agro processing to improve the agricultural value chain.
Speaking on the PDP’s Economic Blueprint on AIT’s “Kakaaki” on Wednesday, Aniagwu said that Atiku was already practicalising production and processing as farmer and was desirous to implement strategies aimed at improving the agricultural value chain with a view to bringing down the very disturbing food price inflation in the country.
“As a successful farmer, Atiku owns Adama Farms and they are into the production of beverages and other products in the food value chain, he already knows that for the private sector to have a role you need to be able to stimulate certain processes including access to soft loans, ensure access to land are made easier.
“Specifically, Atiku is very clear that to stimulate growth in the agricultural sector, you need make access to farm inputs such as fertilisers, tractors and other needed facilities including seedlings much more easier for farmers to access.
“In doing so, it is not only production but improve the food value chain by ensuring that the man who produces must also have access to processing.
“When you produce without processing the goods would rot away and because the farmer is scared of losing his money he may sell at prices far below what its supposed to be.
“Atiku is looking beyond giving them access to farm inputs, after production, he is also interested in the other value chain which is how to dispose what has been produced.
He will also make veterinary services available for aquaculture and animal farming, irrigation for all year round farming as well as animal husbandry, ranching and access to funds.
“So with all of these incentives, the farmer would upscale from subsistence level to commercial level where beyond feeding themselves and those around them, they can also earn a living and also acquire other things that make life better,” he said.
On power sector reforms, Aniagwu said Atiku would ensure that states with capacity to generate power would be given opportunity to do so just like Delta has done.
“The idea of leaving power generation in the hands of the federal government is not good enough for a developing country like Nigeria.
Although there seems to be some form of quasi-liberalisation of the power sector but it has not been backed by relevant laws such that you take away both generation, transmission, distribution and then make it possible for individuals to be able to generate power if they have the capacity.
“He is going to make it possible for individuals to be able to generate captive power like what we are doing in Delta, where almost every government facility is powered by our Independent Power Plant.
“What that does is that you are able to have a reasonable amount of power supply which today Nigerians agree is the bane of our development and once he is able to address the issue of power challenge through this decentralisation of power generation, distribution and transmission of power, then we would have been able to address the many challenges facing Nigerians particularly the Micro and Medium Scale Industries we have in this country.
He said aside interventions in the power sector, “Atiku has also proposed a $10billion dollar intervention fund for MSMEs for them to also become players in our economic space as the case in China.
“All of these packages he will unfold with his running mate Dr Ifeanyi Okowa for the purpose of helping our country’s economy recover which today is in a very comatose situation,” he added.
Also,The Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has assured Nigerian students and lecturers that his administration will put an end to the incessant strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
According to Atiku, the prolonged ASUU strike has disrupted academic calendar and denied many students the opportunity of graduating at the appropriate time.
The former Vice President stated this on Wednesday in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital at a stakeholder meeting with party members and different associations in the state.
He said if elected, more money would be budgeted for education and works towards ending the incessant strikes in the Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions.
“We will budget more money for education and make sure that ASUU strikes and others cease. The education sector is too important to be neglected. I will not allow our standard of education to fall”, Atiku submitted.
The PDP presidential hopeful, therefore, charged members of the party in the state to ensure they win their respective polling booths in the forthcoming general election.
The presidential candidate was accompanied by the Chairman, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; the Director General of the Council, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State; the National Chairman of PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu; former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Governor Nurudeen Adeleke of Osun State; formr Cross River State governor, Liyel Imoke; his Jigawa State counterpart, Sule Lamido; Minority Leader of the Senate, Philip Aduda; the Soutwest Coordinator, Atiku For President and former governor of Osun State, Olagunaoye Oyinlola; the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Ndidi Elumelu and the PDP governorship candidate in Lagos State, Jide Adeniran.
Speaking further, Atiku noted that he would be able to execute his plans to retool the country for greatness, if he wins at the poll, maintaining party members must mobilize the people and ensure PDP wins in their polling booths.
He warned that members must not be complacent by just following the party candidates around, but, strive to deliver the party at the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections.
Atiku informed the gathering that if elected, his administration would expand the scope of the economy so as to improve the living standard of the people and create more employment.
He recalled that the PDP-led government grew Nigeria’s economy between 1999 and 2015 as the largest in Africa, saying that his administration would not only revive the ailing economy, but grow it sustainably.
The PDP presidential candidate added that his administration, in conjunction with international partners, would fund and expand primary health centres, to ensure quality healthcare is made available to the people at the grassroots. (CHAMPION)
