I’ll end insecurity, develop agric, education, industrial potentials in North —Obi

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I’ll end insecurity, develop agric, education, industrial potentials in North  —Obi

Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, has promised to end insecurity in the North  and resuscitate its  agricultural, educational and industrial potentials if elected president of Nigeria.

Obi made the promise in Kaduna on Tuesday when he appeared before a coalition of northern groups and stakeholders to explain his agenda for the North and Nigeria generally.

He said, “For the North we will offer immediate and decisive long-lasting and permanent-effect resolution of all security challenges in the North;

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“Ensure that farmers return to all farmlands for the 2023 farming Season. We will make Nigeria’s arable land in the North her new oil and gold;

“As part of our Marshall Plan for Education, we will foster Federal intervention in education at all levels in the North and partnership with State Governments and international organizations in order to improve access to affordable and quality education at all levels;

“We will ensure very adequate representation in government, equitable appointments especially in the Security and Economic Sectors;

“We will  Incentivize the resuscitation of the moribund cotton and textile industries; and full exploration of the cattle economy value chain, notably the $75b global hide and skin economy. Nigeria’s share of the global industry is envisaged to generate over $1bn by 2025;

“We will ensure very generous deployment and allocation of economic and social projects and infrastructure in the North – with keen attention to Roads, Energy, Power, and Dams- and Solar energy from Sunlight.

“I have come in peace to develop, to secure, and to unite, and I will do so with every commitment to the growth of Nigeria, as one great and united country.

“We shall pay as much attention to the development of the North as to the development of all other parts of the country; but with much greater emphasis on the development of the Agricultural resources.

“The North remains where the biggest ad sustainable wealth of this great Nation lies.If elected President, I shall govern with the fear of God and with all good conscience and intent. The Constitution and the rule of law will always prevail.”

Obi told his audience that it was an honour to return to the City of Kaduna and to participate in the Arewa Joint Committee Interactive Session, and rub minds on some fundamental issues germane to the future of Nigeria.

He thanked the leadership and stakeholders of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation for their gracious invitation.

Obi said that the party’s mission and vision was to serve Nigeria and Nigerians continue to insist on a show of respect for every, ethnicity, religion and person.

“The mission and vision of the incoming Obi-Datti Administration is to give full expression to our democracy by moving our country from consumption to production; we shall achieve this by giving primacy to implementing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Our dear country today has become a shadow of itself. Indeed, there is evidence that Nigeria exhibits two known indices of a failed state; parlous economy and loss of territory and emergence of ungoverned spaces.

“The purpose of politics and governance is to generate economic and social progress for the citizens in larger freedom. But the status quo is the reverse. This is more so here in the North, where poverty, unemployment and insecurity are the new normal.

The  Labour Party’s flag bearer noted that “North has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. It has highest number of school kidnappings in the world. The North also has the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.

“The vast agricultural lands of the north – the so-called food basket of the nation stand desolate and abandoned. This situation is painful and needs to be fixed. Great nations are built through visionary policies, programmes and projects, anchored on the people.

“This was always the hope and wishes for Nigeria by our founding fathers. Sadly, things changed.  Our leaders became selfish, myopic and stopped listening and caring for the common man. Bad leadership, divisive rhetoric, and impunity became the norm.”

The presidential hopeful said that Nigerians had suffered; had lost jobs, their farms and herds and their trust in our leaders, adding that such a narrative must change.

According to him, Nigerians want solutions to the many problems confronting them since economic prosperity for all is an all important aspect of a successful leadership, adding that there was hope, adding that a new Nigeria was Possible.

“But we must return to wdreams of our founding fathers to create an egalitarian society. The Nigeria we seek will be a United and Secure Nigeria that symbolizes the spirit, letters, and exhorting ethos of our national anthem , one nation bound in freedom, peace and unity where peace and justice shall reign.

“As we seek to come to power in May 2023, we are aware of the daunting array of domestic and external challenges confronting our dear nation, and we are fully prepared to lead from the front.

“We are cognizant of the domestic policy challenges that have accumulated over time; and that the lack of adequate public policy responses has made them worse, with a devastating impact on national unity, social cohesion, public trust in government, and economic performance,” Obi said.

The LP presidential candidate said that his party was a group which had a grasp of prevailing challenges, said Nigeria’s needs and unmet needs were very huge, yet hunger, insecurity, poverty and deprivation know no tribe, religion or gender.

“With all sense of urgency, we will, pursue aggressively policies programmes and projects to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of all the sectors of the Nigerian economy,” he added.

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