Muhammadu Buhari unfolds economic agenda

THE presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to effectively mobilise human and material resources within the country to revive the nation’s economy, if voted into power in the coming election.

  Essentially, Buhari, in a presentation to members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in Lagos yesterday, said the issue of corruption would be frontally tackled to cleanse the Augean Stable and position governance on a sustainable path of transparency and accountability. 

  Buhari also pledged to put an end to the menace of the Boko Haram sect and restore the lost glory of the country if elected president.

  The APC presidential candidate while addressing a mammoth crowd yesterday at the Ribadu Square in Yola, Adamawa State said that the country’s dwindling economy was as a result of unfocused leadership and lack of vision which he blamed on imposition of candidates by political parties.

  Specifically, Buhari said that a robust regime of job creation, with adequate reward system, that focused on restoring dignity of labour among Nigerians would be enthroned through a well-diversified economy.

  Besides, he stressed that the security situation in the country would be tackled through a strategic approach with potency to address the socio-economic causative factors, with positive impact on the economy.

  “Equipping and resourcing our security personnel, for example, will not be limited to provision of arms alone, but uniforms, boots and accoutrements, are enormous opportunities for textile production, garment making and shoemaking,” he said.

  According to him, the power sector would be accorded the priority it deserved to resuscitate the economy.

  “Power supply is the minimum that we can seriously commit to in order to quickly galvanise the economy back to productivity.

  “We agree with the privatisation of the power utilities, but we believe it must go further to transmission.

  “After the signing and handing-over ceremonies of the power assets, the real work of producing, transmitting and distributing power is really just beginning.

  “The reason why the success seems elusive is that apart from the signing ceremony and handing over of the power assets, the hard work to connect the various parts of the power chain, supply gas, install transformers, complete substations has not been done.

  “Our studies showed that we will require no less than 200,000 trained personnel to support the initiative to provide power and light up Nigeria.

  “Apart from the inherent direct employment that this will give, the reduction in cost of production, the savings from self-generation by Nigerians, who currently spend a lot of their income on purchase of diesel and petrol to generate their own electricity, will reduce the burden on their disposable income.

  “The savings to Nigerians from reliable electricity will help the average Nigeria spend money on other basic necessities of life and reduce poverty,” he said.

  He vowed to halt the fuel importation saga through enhancement of local refining capacity.

  “There is already an initiative to build a refinery in Lagos. Our government will fully support this initiative because a local refinery means many things such as jobs for Nigerians; less pressure on foreign exchange through reduced importation and therefore enhancing the strength of the naira.”

  He told his audience, which included captains of industries that infrastructural development was key to APC’s economic development agenda, stressing that other areas of investment were roads and highway construction from one end of Nigeria to the other.

  He added: “We will concentrate on the roads and highways that link up Nigerian states, while state government will be expected to connect.

  “Road construction alone will unlock a value chain of opportunities in the built industry for construction companies, builders, engineers, architects, quarry operators, cement and iron rod production and supply.

  “The successful opening up of Nigeria by the construction of new roads and highways will revive road transportation, truck manufacture, tyre manufacture, engine oil, brake pad production on one hand.

  “It will also create a demand for jobs for mechanics, drivers and those engaged in transport support business.

  “We expect a revival of all the inter-state economies that used to thrive across Nigeria, providing support to travellers by way of canteens, restaurants, farm produce, among others.”

  Buhari also assured that his government would not tolerate any act that would undermine the nation’s integrity or impoverish the citizens, pointed out that he would run a government of Nigerians and not a government that belonged to party or a region.

  The APC presidential candidate, who appealed to Nigerians to disregard what he described as cheap blackmail by the PDP government over his health and certificate, noted that he could not join issues with idle minded people who have nothing to show Nigerians after several years in government.