The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria, Mr Peter Obi, has, once again, stressed that the only thing that makes a nation great is when policies, programmes and projects of the government are meant for the people, irrespective of their sociocultural differences and inclinations.
The former governor of Anambra state and former chairman of Fidelity Bank PLC made this declaration during an interactive session with the Arewa Joint Committee, held in Kaduna, yesterday, Monday, October 17, 2022.
The business mogul, who thanked the leadership of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, for the invitation, counting it a rare honour, reiterated his commitment to invest in human capital development, through education, technology and agriculture, promising to ensure that the country is united based on the vision of the founding fathers, while ensuring that justice prevails.
“Great nations are built through visionary policies, programmes and projects, anchored on the people. 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). With all sense of urgency, we will aggressively pursue policies, programmes and projects that will enhance the productivity and competitiveness of all the sectors of the Nigerian economy.”
Calling the northern part of the country the new station for the country’s sustainable wealth, he mentioned his agenda for the region, which include the following:
“We will offer immediate and decisive long-lasting and permanent-effect resolution of all security challenges in the North and 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; 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 also 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, together with Solar energy.”