The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku
Abubakar, on Wednesday said the type of leadership that he and his
running mate, Mr. Peter Obi, offer Nigerians has not been seen in the
country since Independence.
Atiku, who spoke during a town hall
meeting with representatives of the business community in Aba, Abia
State, blamed the ruling All Progressives Congress for allegedly
instigating economic regression in the country.
According to the PDP candidate, Nigerians cannot afford to have 50 million unemployed men and women.
He
said, “That is why there is insecurity. To be able to do business, you
must have a secure environment. Otherwise, you will not even be able to
come out of your house and go to your factory.
“We have two very
experienced men, both in governance and business: Peter Obi and myself. I
don’t think Nigeria has ever produced this type of leadership since
Independence. If you are doubting us, you know what you should do? Try
the two of us.
“If you’re producing juice, I’m a manufacturer of
beverages. If you’re producing plastics, I’m a manufacturer of plastics.
If you have poultry, I’m a manufacturer of livestock.
“If you’re
selling food in the market, I own fast food (restaurants). If you are
in printing, I have a printing industry. If you are into broadcasting, I
own television stations.
“So, what are you going to tell me?”
Abubakar
stated that his various companies had been spending N600m to pay for
trucks haulage until he decided to start his own haulage business.
“I
sat down with them and said, ‘No, we must go into road haulage. Let’s
have our own trucks. I can’t spend N600m on mere road haulage.’ And
today, we’re in a successful haulage industry.
“So, my brothers
and sisters, the government that has tried to solve most of the
challenges that the business community are facing in this country is the
PDP government and here is another opportunity, so you don’t repeat the
mistake of bringing back this government,” he said.
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