ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has unfolded his industrialization plan for Abia State.
He acknowledged the commercial prowess of the State, adding that the plan will transform Abia into a major exporter of manufactured goods.
Addressing the crowd, Tinubu said: “Your state is a centre of production and industry. Today, my hope is renewed that together, we can achieve industrial activity unprecedented in our history.
“Aba market is one of the largest in West Africa. I see it becoming a major exporter of all types of manufactured goods to Asia, to North and South America and Europe.
“I see this state humming with industrial activity such that it will become a world famous centre of activity from the manufacture of clothing to that of cars, appliances and computers and their components.”
Tinubu promised to provide jobs for the teeming youths by strengthening digital economy and improving the nation’s power generation and distribution.
He said: “We will provide better infrastructure to open the region and the entire country to the trade, export, travel and tourism in which you will excel. These include roads, waterways, ports, rail and the provision of steady reliable power.”
The standard bearer said students would no longer spend eight or more years in universities for four-year courses.
On the power sector, he said the reform he envisaged would bring the electricity supply they require to live and work, adding: “We will give you the tools to make your businesses as competitive and productive as any on earth.
“The teeming youth population standing before me makes my heart glad. We have good plans for you. God’s Own Youth, you are blessed. We will empower you. There will be jobs for those who desire jobs by providing tax and other employment credits to employers, encouraging them to hire you.
“My government shall support those starting their own businesses. My digital economy plan calls for one million new jobs in ICT within 24 months in office.
“We are also investing in an educational system that will provide you with skills that make you globally competitive while also affording you a good standard of living.”
The former Lagos State Governor, who promised to tackle insecurity, added that: “Our national security policy will function to give peaceful living clear of violence and fear.
“Insecurity will be tackled using advanced technological platforms for surveillance and tracking kidnappers and violent criminals. Security forces will be better trained and better compensated. They will exercise restraint when needed, but will also show strength whenever put to the test.
“This nation will be a safe and prosperous place to live.”
Tinubu urged supporters to get their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and vote for the party.
On his part, the Abia APC chairman Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the Federal Government’s projects in the Southeast, despite the low votes that the region gave to him in 2015 and 2019.
These include the second Niger Bridge and the rehabilitated Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.
He advised the five States to shun regional politics, saying that people would gain more if they vote for the APC.
The governorship candidate, Chief Ikechi Emenike, promised to work for the unity and victory of the party.
He promised, also, to redress the wrongs of the past governments and run a new and inclusive government.
Speaking also, the Governor of Imo State thanked party leaders for their commitment, adding that the party can only win when they are more united.