By Matthew Tabe
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said that if elected president, his administration will industrialise Nigeria for better paying jobs.
Tinubu stated this during a Townhall meeting with Organised Labour in Abuja on Monday where he also said he is the most qualified to lead Nigeria among the presidential candidates.
He assured the labour leaders that he would ensure the nation is massively industrialised to give more people better paying jobs, while also opening doors to more emerging sectors younger ones can harness.
The session, which was used to dissect the Tinubu-Shettima Action Plan for a Better Nigeria was well attended by Labour leaders from the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress among others.
Comrades Ayuba Wabba and Festus Osifo led the two Labour associations to the event.
Vice Presidential Candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara) as well as Hon James Faleke, Secretary of the Campaign Council, and other APC leaders attended the interactive session.
Former Deputy President of NLC and Director of Labour Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Comrade Isa Aremu, set the tone for the engagement when he told the Labour leaders and workers that the choice before them and Nigerians in next election is who among the presidential candidates is truly committed, tested and trusted to protect workers and the poor and who is ready to industrialise the country to bring back decent jobs and good pay.
Comrade Aremu said Tinubu is the best to deliver on the priorities of the workers.
In his speech, the APC flagbearer who intermittently spoke off his written address said his antecedents as former Lagos State governor, during which he transformed the state and powered it to the 5th largest economy in Africa it is today, stands him out and makes him a better candidate ahead of his competitors.
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Tinubu listed the problems of unemployment, lack of credit system to allow workers own houses, poverty, challenges in educational sector, weak industrial base of the economy as what he is coming to address as the President of Nigeria.
“Today, the questions you all must ask yourselves are these: who can be trusted to accomplish all of this? The man who has done it before, or the man whose most lasting achievement as Vice President is the corrupt sale of national assets to his friends and cronies?
“Who has the better plan? The man whose blueprint guided the emergence of Lagos State as fifth largest economy in Africa or the man whose greatest pride is the amount of money he managed to bury in sand while his state’s infrastructure decayed and its workers suffered endless hardship?
“The choice is yours. But permit me to now talk a little about myself and my vision.
“I have always been and will continue to be a progressive democrat. In my worldview, government has a cardinal responsibility to work not only with business but also with labour to ensure that all constituent parts of our society are afforded their fair share of rewards without taking on undue hardship,” Tinubu said.
Speaking further on what stands him out, Tinubu said just like the labour leaders, he has been in the forefront of fighting the government for good governance all his life, a move for which he was detained and eventually forced into exile.
He added: “As Organised Labour, you have been at the forefront of the workers’ rights movement in Nigeria, championing economic fairness and the welfare of the average person, the weak and the forgotten.”
On his plans if elected, Tinubu said his administration would make the fiscal and monetary policies work for the workers and Nigerians so they can have a good life.
“My Action Plan for a Better Nigeria, sets out a vision of opportunity, social justice and prosperity for all. I seek a Nigeria where sufficient jobs with decent wages give people the chance to live better lives. Where the private sector thrives, we will not disrupt it. However, where the private sector cannot do it alone, my government will take the lead in lending a helping hand.
“For young Nigerians, my goal will be to open the doors wide to emerging sectors such as the digital economy, entertainment and culture, and tourism. Specific policies will empower women and young people to become more active in our nation’s leadership.
“Our industrial policy will help Nigerian businesses manufacture, create, and invent more of the goods and services we require and to export more of those products across the globe. We will modernise and expand public infrastructure to create jobs, develop skills and spur rapid growth across all economic sectors, giving real opportunity to those who previously only dreamed of it.”
Responding to a question on corruption, Tinubu said his administration would have a zero-tolerance to corruption by strengthening anti-corruption agencies.
On crude out theft, he said if elected, he would ensure maximum deployment of technology to monitor, protect pipelines and block theft, while also condemning those receiving stolen crude, saying if there is no receiver, there won’t be supplier.