The City of Lagos was agog Friday as the presidential campaign train of the All Progressives Congress (APC) made a grand stopover in the Centre of Excellence with the National Leader of the Party, Bola Tinubu, the State Governor, Babatunde Fashola and other APC governors and party leaders taking turns to outline the strategies to save the nation from collapse.
Addressing the capacity crowd of party chieftains and supporters at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, said the APC has identified three fundamental problems of Nigeria which, according to him, are insecurity, the economy and bribery and corruption adding that these would be his priority if voted into power come February 14, 2015.
Flanked by his running mate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, National Chairman of the Party, Chief John Oyegun and other chieftains of the party, Buhari, however, indicated that of the three priorities, insecurity would be the first in his list adding that , not much would be achieved without securing the country first.
He told enthusiastic supporters, “I want to draw your attention to the fact that whatever we are going to do, we must secure Nigeria first. What is happening in the Northeast where thousands of people are being killed is not acceptable. We know that the Nigerian Police and the military are capable of bringing peace in this country. What they need is a strong and committed leadership”.
Noting that more than 40 percent of Nigerian youths are unemployed, Buhari, who said the responsibility of any government was to provide jobs for its youths whether they went to school or not, promised to make job creation a priority of his administration adding that he would revive all the industries and government corporations that used to provide thousands of jobs for the people in the past.
Also noting the importance of Education in the growth and development of any nation, Buhari promised that his administration would commit to the sector whatever it could save from stemming corruption, adding that the government would build and equip schools adequately as well as provide qualified teachers for the children.
“On corruption, whatever we are able to save we will put mostly in Education, build schools, equip them and get qualified teachers. No nation can invest in anything better than education. When people are educated there is a level of incompetence that they will not accept”, the presidential candidate said.
On why there must be change in Nigeria, General Buhari said the ruling part has in the last 16 years killed all the major government agencies that were major sources of revenue and job creation for the country such as the Nigerian Railway Corporation, the Nigerian Airways and the Nigerian Shipping Lines adding that the Federal Government has not advanced beyond the amount of Power it was generating for the country in 1999.
Appealing to the people to obtain their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC), Buhari declared, “We must make sure we vote PDP out for good. This is in our own interest as a people; this is in the interest of the nation”.
He also promised to assist Lagos in maintaining the infrastructure it inherited as the former capital of the country. He said, “For Lagos in particular, you inherited a large portion of infrastructure as a capital of Nigeria. The Federal Government ought to have been helping in the maintenance of that infrastructure, but Lagos State Government has been doing it. I assure you APC government will do that”.
In his remarks, the Vice Presidential candidate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo urged Nigerians to vote massively for the APC in the coming election adding, “God wants to deliver Nigeria from her economic pains. The time for deliverance has come. Nigerians, with your PVC, you will cause a fundamental Change on February 14”.
National Leader of the Party, Bola Tinubu, tackled those who describe the APC Presidential Candidate as too old for the presidential job pointing out that many advanced countries across the world have sought recourse to experienced leaders to rescue their countries from impending calamities.
Citing South Africa as the first example, Tinubu recalled that when that country was in great crisis and in danger of imminent disintegration, it went to call Mr. Nelson Mandela at the age of 74 years to lead the country adding that with his wealth of wisdom the elder statesman was able to stabilise South Africa.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, Governor Fashola recalled that in 2011 Lagosians gave Jonathan 1.2 million votes adding with regrets that in his entire tenure, the President neglected Lagos only giving her a Minister, late in the tenure, who came and attempted to stop the wheel of progress in the State.
According to the Governor, the President also promised to reconstruct the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road but failed to do so adding that work on the Red Line, the proposed Light Rail from Iddo has been awaiting Presidential approval for almost two years while work on the Blue line from Okokomaiko heading to Marina is advancing.
Noting that Lagos is working because it is the only state that has not come under PDP rule, Governor Fashola declared, “This time around, our job is simple, to get our PVCs and to go out on February 14 to go and show love to General Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo, our Senators and House of Representatives members by voting massively for the APC”.
