Presidential Candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has promised to conquer poverty in Nigeria if elected in 2023.
Tinubu, who made the promise at the Town Hall meeting of the South-South region in Calabar, Cross River, yesterday, said he would deploy all the human and material resources God had bestowed on the country to move it out of poverty.
The former Lagos governor decried the slow pace of growth and development in the country, adding that his administration would turn around the fortune of the country.
He said education remained the greatest tool to fight poverty, noting that each state of the federation was blessed with abundant natural resources, all of which he pledged would be deployed in changing the fortunes 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.
“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,” he said.
He promised to unite Nigerians in order to ensure steady growth and progress.
“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 presidential candidate said that Cross River had the potential to be the tourism hub of Africa.
Speaking earlier, Governor Ben Ayade stressed the need for the country to go back to agriculture, if the desire to conquer hunger must be achieved.
Ayade expressed the regret that with its vast land, Nigeria had not attained its full potential, particularly in the area of agriculture.
“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,” Ayade said.
Meanwhile, Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari assured the Tinubu would not Islamise Nigeria if elected president.
“Leadership is about justice to the people, even to animals. Lagos is a mini Nigeria. Both Christians and Muslims, and pagans are in Lagos. At a point in time you cannot drive in Lagos with your car windows widely open because of thieves. Hardly a day passed without seeing a dead body in dump sites.
“But when Tinubu became governor for eight years he brought sanity to Lagos. It is baseless to express the fear that Tinubu will Islamise Nigeria. It is not true. Did Buhari Islamise Nigeria after seven years in office. Did Obasanjo christianise Nigeria after eight years in office. Did Jonathan make Nigeria a Christian country after six years in office?. I can tell you that if you assemble all the presidential candidates before a blind man, he will choose Tinubu.”
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State expressed the optimism that Tinubu would win the 2023 poll.
“The major problem of this country is politics with bitterness. But when young men and women gather for a common cause without bitterness there is hope for this country. We have to pick a candidate who is tested and trusted. He is Ahmed Tinubu. He was governor for eight years. He picked a successor that was liked by the people. History will repeat itself. During the military regime under General Ibrahim Babangida’s transition to civil rule, there was an election between MKO Abiola and Alhaji Bashir Tofa of SDP and NRC. Abiola’s running mate was a Muslim. It was a Muslim-Muslim ticket that won the election. Tofa that picked a Christian running mate lost the election. So Tinubu will win the election”.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, gave reasons why Northern APC governors decided to support a southern presidential candidate, saying: “In the spirit of unity, fairness and justice in the country, after President Buhari’s tenure it is fair that the presidency should go to the South. And we converged in Katsina lodge before governor Aminu Bello Masari that said that among all the presidential candidates we should go for Ahmed Tinubu because of his track records while he was governor of Lagos”.
The three governors spoke at a town hall meeting with a group of Christians from Northern Nigeria.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed satisfaction with the Christian group, saying that her husband would not let them down if voted into power, describing him as a workaholic and a generous man “full of intelligence.”
