Nigeria: Atiku Renews Commitment to Improve Economy, Education, Security

The presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has renewed his commitment to revamp Nigeria’s ailing economy as well as improve security and quality service delivery in the education and health sectors.

Atiku made the promise while addressing a crowd of party supporters in Asaba, Delta State, yesterday.

He said the PDP campaign train was in Delta State to show its gratitude to the people of the state for keeping faith with the party since inception in 1998.

The PDP presidential hopeful, who also expressed gratitude to students of various institutions in the Niger Delta for coming out in their numbers to endorse the Atiku-Okowa presidential ticket, promised not to let them down.

Atiku said: “Because of the support we have received all along, particularly I in my entire political career from 1999 till date, Delta State has never failed me and I want to tell you that I shall not betray the trust of Delta State and, in fact, united Delta sub-region all together.

“I want to assure you that in my agenda is education. I want to commend this young man who on behalf of all the students in Niger Delta, today endorsed our candidature.

“In my policy document, there shall be no more ASUU strike. One of the items that are of benefit to us is the issue of resource control or restructuring.

“You as Niger Delta, shall benefit from that policy because it is our intention to devolve more powers and more resources to your respective states to deal with your problems, instead of waiting for the federal government to do so.

“This APC government has disunited Nigeria, north-south, has disunited Nigeria Christian-Muslim, has disunited Nigeria in all respects.

“It is our commitment to restore the unity of this country. How do we do it? How do we achieve it? We will make sure every part of this country, every religion in this country has a sense of belonging in the federal government, that one I promise you.”

commissioning several developmental projects executed by the Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration last April.

He said: “Last year in April, I came here and I commissioned so many projects executed by your governor. Last month, I was in Warri, it was my first time to enter boat for two hours, I have never seen a market floating on top of water before but this time I commissioned a market in Warri floating on top of water, I commissioned roads and schools.”

He enjoined the people of the state to come out in their numbers to vote in the PDP during the forth coming elections.

Ayu also led party chieftains present on the occasion to receive those who decamped from other political parties to join the ranks of the PDP in the state.

In his remarks, the Chairman of PDP Presidential Campaign Council and governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, described the campaign in Delta State as a celebration.

He reiterated the promise of the PDP to revive ailing industries across the nation, especially in the Niger Delta, in order to provide jobs and stimulate the economy to encourage inflow of direct foreign investments.

Emmanuel said: “All the companies that were here, they have all gone, but with your son as the next chairman of the National Economic Council and with our President, the man who knows business, who has done business.

” In this life, if you cannot run a kiosk, you cannot run a multinational company, it takes someone who has managed business, education, people to be able to manage Nigeria out of the situation we are today and the only person is Atiku and Okowa of the PDP.

“In those days, when you enter Warri and other areas, you will see the activities of the oil companies and our area was booming, because we owned 50 per cent, the foreigners owned 40 per cent, so the chairman, alongside the president, will return all IOCs to the Niger Delta and the economy will boom again. The whole Niger Delta region will return to its economic power.”

He enjoined voters in the state to work towards voting in the PDP with a large margin of votes.

Also speaking at the campaign rally, Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, pledged that Edo and Delta, which constituted former Bendel State, would deliver at least 1.5 million votes to the Atiku-Okowa ticket in the presidential election.

Similarly, the Director-General of Atiku-Okowa Campaign Organisation and governor of Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, said he was sure states in the Niger Delta would deliver at least five million votes to the PDP in the election, insisting the South-South remained a PDP territory.