- Ready to restore Kano’s lost glory in trade, industries
- To make Sambisa forest agricultural land
BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS – The Labour Party (LP) Presidential candidate, Peter Obi says securing the country and keeping it free from the parallel government by criminals will be the priority of his administration when elected into office come February 25, 2023.
Similarly, he pledged to restore the past glory of Kano in terms of industries, trade and commerce, urging Nigerian youths to resist the temptation of being deceived again by political parties that have kept them in endemic poverty over the years.
Addressing party supporters and well-wishers at the Kano Pillars Stadium in Kano during the party’s presidential campaign rally on Sunday, Obi said; “I promise to secure and protect the people of Nigeria. We will ensure that the enemy and criminals are not stronger than the government. We will have one government. And they will not have space in it. We will secure Nigerians. We will unite Nigeria.”
Furthermore, the Labour Party flag bearer said it is unfortunate Kano which used to be the reference point in his early days as a trader, has lost its glory in terms of industries, and garment factories, with trading hubs like Sabon Gari, no longer the same.
According to him; “We want to bring back Kano to what it (Kano) used to be. That is what we want to do and we can only do it by pulling you out of poverty. We are not in this business to waste anybody’s time. They have deceived you; they promised you and delivered nothing. We are not like that. We want you to take what we are saying seriously and you will see it happen.”
“Kano you see today is a ghost of what Kano used to be. Kano has now become a place you breed hunger and poverty. We want to move the country from consumption to production”, he said, adding; “This election this year, let them not deceive you. They will tell you we are from the North; this election will not be based on ethnicity or tribe.”
Obi, who also promised to convert the Sambisa forest to agricultural land and turn the country from a consumption nation to a production nation as well as boost its total export, said; “Nigeria is not producing anything. They tell you the rate of exchange is N700 to this (dollar), but it is not true, when we stop stealing, it will come down.
“We use to export before but today we are hungry. How can we be hungry? We have the land. The uncultivated land in the north is what I want to cultivate. They said the Sambisa forest is our problem because there is a problem in Borno State. No, we will convert it to agricultural land.
“The Sambisa forest is 60,000 square kilometres of land, and Israel is 22.1 square kilometres, so the Sambisa forest is two times the size of Israel, we cannot allow it to be like that. It won’t cause trouble for us instead, it will be a source of production for us. We can no longer continue on the same negative trajectory.
“The total export of Nigeria last year, a country of 200 million living on 923,000 square kilometres is 18.9 trillion, if you convert it by 650 is about 30 billion. We cannot take it. Nigeria will increase in export, we will turn this place from agriculture to industrialization and export.”
Also promising that the Labour Party government has what it takes to lead the North out of poverty, the former Anambra State governor said; “Let me assure you that I will solve the problem of the North. I will take them out of poverty. I know what to do with the mass uncultivated lands in the North.”
In his speech at the rally, the Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure said the 22 years of rule by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) was responsible for the nation’s poor fortunes having produced leadership that has sadly failed Nigerians on all fronts.
