South-East is key to Nigeria’s economic progress ― Atiku

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday, said that the South-East geo-political zone remained a key factor in the economic progress of Nigeria, averring that any government that desired to revamp the nation’s economy must carry the zone along.

This was as he remarked that with the comatose state of the country, any government that would come to power in 2023 must address the specific issue affecting each geo-political zone of the country, hence the preparations by the PDP towards that end.

Atiku, who spoke in Enugu at the meeting with Leaders and Stakeholders of the South East Zone of the PDP, noted that the task before the party was too huge and crucial for anybody or anything to be taken for granted, stressing that it had become imperative for the party to win the forthcoming election “for the sake of our country and our people.”

The Waziri of Adamawa and former Vice President said that the past one week had been very difficult for him, adding that “the campaigns and elections are huge, complex and highly demanding undertakings’, and sued for the cooperation of all’, urging them not to hesitate to point out the lapses noticed in the course of the electioneering so that the party could take immediate actions to remedy same.

The meeting, the PDP presidential flag bearer said, was part of his consultations with the leaders of the various zones “to thank them for their support, to listen to them regarding the issues specific to their zones both in terms of preparations for the campaigns but also governance after the elections”.

“We must be prepared to hit the ground running from Day One, if Nigerians give us their mandate. Our country is in very bad shape and rescuing it requires proper preparations and attention to details, not just in terms of general issues affecting the whole country but also issues specific to each zone and the states therein”.

Declaring the South-East zone as very dear to his heart, Atiku eulogised the zone for the contributions its sons and daughters had made in the past for the development of the country, describing them as “key contributors” to the economic activities of the country.

“As you know, the SouthEast is close to my heart. You have supported me through thick and thin and I will always remember that. Your sons and daughters have played very positive roles in the development of our country, They were key personnel who played important roles in the PDP government in which I served as Vice President.

“And they have continued to excel in other roles across the world. You are a key contributor to economic activities in this country and a government that wants to revive our economy and provide opportunities for our people must carry the South East along.

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“I am a businessman and I know that businesses need supporting environment to thrive and when they thrive the country thrives. I do not see the provision of infrastructure in any part of the country as a favour to that part. If anything, it is a favour to the country because we are one country, one economy.

“A bridge across the River Niger or a coal power plant in Enugu is a favour to the Nigerian economy because they will contribute to growth in economic activities not just in the South-East but across the country.

“We do not require identity cards from people and goods crossing a bridge, and electric power does not carry ethnic or religious currents when they pass low or high tension cables. When you understand the importance of infrastructure for economic development, jobs and wealth creation your focus would be to provide as much infrastructure as is needed in every part of the country rather than treat it as favours to be bestowed on those you like and denied to those you dislike,” Atiku postulated

Parts of his remarks at the meeting reads:

“When I was campaigning for the privilege of being your Presidential Candidate in the forthcoming election I outlined five priorities: reunify the country, improve security, fix the economy; restructure the federation; and improve human capital development.

“These are the areas that I believe would have the most impact on all other aspects of our development and our quality of life as citizens and as a country.

“Our country is more divided today than it has ever been and it is our responsibility to reunify though equity justice and fairness. That way we can all pull in one direction to develop our country and improve our people’s lives.

“This will require giving every segment of this country a sense of belonging, not just by meeting constitutional requirements on federal character but through government policies, programmes and projects, and our body language and utterances as leaders.

“We need to provide efficient and effective government that secures the lives and properties of our people. Without security, life itself is meaningless, economic and other legitimate activities become impaired and investors would only flee.

“That is why security will be a top priority for the government that I lead. We will recruit, train and adequately equip and reward more police and other security personnel. We shall devolve policing powers so states that so desire can establish state police to help to secure their states.

“I have been calling for this for several years and we now seem to have reached a national consensus on it. Part of our task is to separate genuine political grievances from mere criminality. Political grievance will be addressed through the political process while criminality will be dealt through law enforcement.

“However, we will address the root causes of insecurity including the lack of opportunities, collapse of education, climate change and its impact on agriculture and animal husbandry, and lack of modernisation of same. We shall modernise our agriculture including animal husbandry to help to reduce the persistent clashes between farmers and nomadic herders which have increasingly become violent.

“Since the late 1960s, we have had a faulty federal structure that concentrates too much power and resources at the Centre, thereby turning the federating states into appendages or parastatals of the federal government. A PDP government that I lead will work with the legislatures to restructure our federal system and devolve more powers to the states with corresponding resources.

“That way states will be better able to set their own development priorities while the federal government focuses on setting and maintaining standards. A federal system that does not encourage the federating units to compete among themselves in order to be better is a faulty one. This restructuring is not a favour to any section or group of sections of the country. Our country needs it badly in order to survive and thrive.

“Our economy also needs major reforms if it’s to grow and provide jobs and opportunities for our young people. We must involve the private sector more in economic activities and investment, including in the provision of infrastructure.

“We shall stop fiscal support for non-performing government enterprises and also end the fuel subsidies which have become a cesspool of corruption. Support for the private sector as well as the medium and small-scale enterprises will unleash our people’s creative energies as well as attract investments from outside our shores.

“Millions of jobs will be created. We did this before. In the government in which I served as Vice President you saw Nigerians returning from abroad to invest and seek other opportunities in the country. Under the APC that trend has since reversed. People cannot wait to run away from Nigeria.

“Another critical priority area for me is human capital development. We shall provide good quality education and skills that would enable our young people to compete in the modern economy that is knowledge-based and driven by technology and innovation.

“We shall also provide good quality health care system that focuses on preventive care. We shall, therefore, make massive investments in these critical areas. A well-educated and healthy workforce is critical for economic development and wealth creation in today’s world.

“My dear friends, this agenda will benefit the South-East. A Nigeria that truly works will work for all its zones. We must tackle the feeling of marginalization which is providing an excuse for the separatist agitations in this zone.

“National unity will benefit the people of this zone who need a wider platform to operate on. Restructuring that devolves powers from the federal government and gives states the power to set their priorities is better for this zone than what we currently have and have had since the late 1960s. I believe that you should not pull back one of your child that appears to be doing better at some point so that your other children would catch up. Rather you encourage the one(s) lagging behind to emulate that one so they can all do better.

“Holding the faster one back would result in all of them falling behind and handing victory to children who are not from your family. Also, insecurity pervades the South East now as much as other zones and without security, people cannot go about their normal businesses. I am aware of how the economy of this zone and the livelihoods of its people are being destroyed by the Monday sit-at-home being imposed by a small misguided youth from this zone.

“It is difficult to understand how you liberate a people by destroying their economy. This has to stop and we shall address all political grievances not just by words but by deeds. The provision of Infrastructure is provisioning is critical for businesses and economic growth in the region, including necessary linkages across the country. Improved education is critical for this zone and the country. So is good quality health care.

But beyond these priorities, I would like to listen to the specific issues peculiar to this zone, which we need to address as a party and as a government. To that end, and without prejudice to what I will learn during this parley, I would like us to have a joint committee of our Campaign and the zone, with one representative of each state, to liaise on issues specific to the South-East zone that we will need to address if we work hard enough to win the elections.

“We will replicate these joint committees across all six geo-political zones in the country. We need this level of detail not just to win the elections, but, more importantly, in order to be able to provide good governance. The process will help us to hit the ground running on those issues as soon as we are sworn it. I know, for instance, that it is important to Enugu State that the Akanu Ibiam International Airport gains full approval to handle international flights.”