Countdown to next year’s general elections in the country, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Sam Ohuabunwa, on Wednesday, paid a courtesy call on a former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (retd), at his Uphill Mansion in Minna, Niger State capital.
The presidential hopeful on arrival met with Babangida behind closed doors at his expansive mansion while journalists were not allowed into the compound for ‘security’ reasons.
In an interview shortly after the closed-door meeting with IBB, Mr Ohuabunwa explained that the biggest challenge confronting the country at the moment is joblessness which according to him is causing worsening insecurity and socio-economic challenges and increased levels of poverty.
Ohuabunwa who also met with members of the state’s chapter of the PDP at the party’s State Secretariat, in Minna said he was in Niger to solicit for the wise counsel of Babangida and members of the party in Niger ahead of the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
The PDP presidential hopeful said the situation in Nigeria is very pathetic as according to him, 71 percent of Nigerians are living below the poverty level caused by inappropriate policies and programmes to change the trend.
“World Bank classifications indicated that 71 percent of Nigerians were living in poverty and only 10 percent of Nigerians including the few in the corridors of power are rich,” he said.
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This, according to Ohuabunwa, does not speak well of the most populous black nation in the world.
He said, “The only way forward in addressing the menace was for Nigeria to have an enlightened, visionary and competent leader that can lift the country out of the palpable situation. Nigeria needed a leader with competence and good character to lead the country.”
Ohuabunwa, a pharmacist by profession and an entrepreneur said he was motivated to present himself to join the 2023 presidential race because he has what it takes to change the narratives in putting the country on the right pedestal among the comity of nations.
“What Nigeria needed now is a leader that will take it out of its mucky clay, we have been completely stagnated for years. We need to be lifted up and follow the world in terms of quality of life and human dignity and realise our potentials,” he declared.
He said, “Nigeria, for many years have been subjected to: poverty, joblessness, injustice and lacks enforcement of law and order due to bad and ineffective leadership,” stressing that “if voted into power, he would create enabling environment for investments that would create business and programmes for youths and future generations of this country.”
and then