Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has reiterated his commitment to transform Nigeria’s economy from that of consumption to production, if elected the President of Nigeria, insisting that the only way to create Nigerians is to make people have hope in Nigeria and the only way they will have faith in Nigeria is that there is hope in Nigerians
Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at a summit themed “Youths, Governance and a New Nigeria’’, Mr Obi said he would diversify the economy by harnessing potentials and natural resources from all regions of the country.
He added that he would build a country of integrity where patriotism would be the pride of citizens.
“We have a country called Nigeria, but we don’t have Nigerians.
“What we want to do is to create Nigerians and the only way to create Nigerians is to make people to have hope in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is a great country. God created this country and gave it everything to make it great. The only thing that is lacking is a simple thing called leadership. That is what Datti and I intend to provide,” he said.
He explained how he plans to harness regional potentials for national economic development.
“When I say we are not a producing country but a consuming one, it is true. For instance, Borno is a state situated on 70.9 square kilometres of land and today we are talking about Sambisa Forest.
“This is because Sambisa Forest is twice the size of Israel and it is an agricultural land that can give us food.
“If you go all over the northern part of Nigeria you will see that Nigeria is blessed with land that can give us food. We are waiting to share money from oil. How much do we generate from oil? It is an asset for Nigeria
“Our total export as a country is 30 billion dollars including oil, yet we live in a country of over 923,000 square metre, almost one million square kilometres,’’ he said.
Obi said that Nigeria, when compared with Vietnam that lives on 331square kilometres of land and has a population of 100 million was lagging behind.
This, he said, was because Vietnam’s export is 312 billion dollars yet Nigeria could not do 10 per cent of Vietnam’s exports with a vast land and a population of 200 million people.
He added that Niger is two-and-half the size of The Netherlands, yet the state could not feed itself or the country whereas The Netherlands’ agricultural export for 2021 was 120 billion dollars.
He vowed that Nigeria must end the oil subsidy regime which he described as “criminality.”
“Going forward, we must look for ways to move Nigeria beyond oil. We must end this criminality called ‘oil subsidy’. Nigeria today is vastly polarised and wrecked by divisions that run deep along religious, ethnic and regional lines,” he stated
Continuing: “From where I stand, I dare to proclaim that Nigeria’s Democracy must survive!
“The new alliance that we seek is between Nigerian youths, the Labour Party, which represents Nigerian workers, and like minds. Collectively, it is an alliance of the #OBIdients!”
He pointed out that there is a staggering level of corruption, adding that Nigerian universities have remained closed for over five months, “while our healthcare system remains comatose, power generation and distribution are also at an all-time low.
“After we win the 2023 elections, we intend to use the instruments of job creation and regenerative investments to drastically reduce the high incidence of insecurity and poverty, while moving the economy from the consumptive to the productive mode.
“Undoubtedly, the greatest challenge we face beyond bad leadership, is lack of elite consensus. But, let us not forget Dante Alighieri‘s admonition, that ‘The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality’.”.
Obi added that his primary job in 2023 is to wrestle power from the current administration and return it to the people. He promised to provide quality leadership that the country is suffering from.
“In 2023, we will no longer allow drivers that don’t know where we are going. We will put another driver to continue because what we have now, and what is happening in Nigeria, is that you don’t know where you are going, the driver doesn’t know where the vehicle is going, so every road leads us there.”
“But we don’t want to worry. All we say is that 2023 onwards, we will no longer allow that situation. For now, we will manage it to the end.”
“The current structures of both the PDP and the APC are the stomach infrastructure that has brought us nothing but misery.”
“Their understanding of structure is sharing of Nigeria’s patrimony to vested interests and influence peddlers. That is against what Peter Obi represents; that is against what Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed represents; and it is indeed, against the vision of the Labour Party.”
He urged his supporters to remind the opposition that Nigeria’s democracy must survive after being dehumanised and disenfranchised by the ruling oligarchs.
Obi said his structure is the 100 million poor Nigerians who will come out on election day to fight for their future.
“Our structure is everyone seated in this hall today!Yes, we have structure, and we are ready to move mountains to save Nigeria.”
“History must serve as a tool in our decision making. The implosion of Nigeria has long been forecasted. Year 2023 could be a tipping point in the annals of our history. But that must not happen, even as the options before the electorate seem stark,” he added
He said the need to create a better future motivated them hence their decision “to get involved.
“We will no longer allow drivers that don’t know where we are going. Because you don’t know where you’re going, the driver doesn’t.
“We cannot continue to live like this; our position is simple, all Datti and I want to do is to move this country from consumption to production,’’ he stressed.
In his remarks, the vice-presidential candidate of the party Mr Yusuf Datti said the duo and the party were not looking for money in government, but looking to run a government in money.
Datti noted that Nigeria has a lot of money and potentials and that all it needed was credible leaders to harness them.
“I am following a business leader who knows how to create wealth and we are going to create it legitimately,” he stated.
Datti said that he would serve with integrity having proved it earlier as a senator and was one of the senators who did not buy a house at the Apo Legislative Quarters when they were sold.
He stressed that the Labour Party would drive Nigeria into prosperity and integrity.
Datti called on those who had lived and prospered by promoting disunity and crises in Nigeria to sheath their swords because their time was up.
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