Buhari campaigns in Kaduna says his govt succeeded in tackling security, economy

President Muhammadu Buhari was received in Kaduna on Friday by a massive crowd of party supporters, who thronged the Ahmadu Bello Stadium (ABS) for the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress campaign in the state.

The president, who spoke in Hausa during the flag-off of the governorship and presidential campaign, said Kaduna was his home and remained one of his strongholds.

“I have nothing to say than to remind you of the situation we met this country and the promises we made to you.

“So the best we can do for our country is to return the APC to power.

“The biggest gift we can give to our country is security and sufficiency and economic prosperity,” he said.

The president said that the APC administration had so far addressed the security situation in the country, as the 17 local government areas, hitherto under the control of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-east had been recaptured.

“There is no one local government in the North-east remaining in the hands of the insurgents.

“But they are using youths, especially young girls as suicide bombers by sending them to markets, motor parks and worship centres to kill people. Even that had been brought under control.

He said in the area of the economy, the country was recovering and on the track of development.
“The larger population of the country are youths between the ages of 35 and below, Nigeria has lots of work to do, to get you employment and sufficiency.”

According to him, farmers in the country have had pumper harvest following the availability of fertilisers provided at a cost of N5,500 as against the N9000 it used to be. He said the fertiliser has been provided in each of the local government areas of the country.

“We have stopped spending our foreign reserve to import rice; there is sufficiency in rice and we now produce it locally.

I am thanking governors, especially those of Lagos, Ogun, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa and Ebonyi who have tried in the production and processing of our local rice.”

The president expressed confidence that his victory was assured in the state and North-west region.

Mr Buhari said the mandate given to him by Nigerians required their support, especially for peace and economic development of the country.

He assured that his administration would use all the recovered looted funds for the well-being of citizens.

He also promised that his administration, if re-elected in the 2019 general elections, would continue to make life easier for all Nigerians.

He said that as promised in 2014, his administration would continue the fight against corruption and insecurity in the country.

He said the anti-corruption fight was difficult in the current democratic dispensation, “compared to the period I was a Military Head of State, when those who looted the economy were arrested and prosecuted”.

He, however, promised that those who have looted the country would be investigated and be prosecuted in the course of time.

All those funds, properties and companies recovered so far would be sold and proceeds returned to the treasury.

The president said the government was tackling kidnapping for ransom incidents and remnants of Boko Haram.

On the militancy in the oil producing areas of Niger Delta, the president said the federal government was engaged in dialogue with them to understand that the country belonged to all of us.

“The constitution has spelt out the percentage that should be provided for the oil-rich region and every other resource (that) belong to all Nigerians, irrespective of where such resources are located.”

The president called on the people of Kaduna State to vote for the APC candidates in the 2019 general elections to enable the party to complete all ongoing development projects across the country.

He assured the electorate that the APC administration would not betray Nigerians and would not allow anyone to betray Nigerians.

The National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, said that the fundamental issues of the campaign were the pronouncements by the PDP presidential candidate to sell the NNPC just as they sold out NITEL, NEPA, Nigerian Airways and other government agencies.

He said the people should resist that move by not voting for them.

Mr Oshiomhole declared that “with what I have seen here today, the APC has already won the general elections.

“I am therefore calling on you to ensure that you vote for all of the candidates of the APC from top to down during the general elections.”

Earlier, the DG Campaign of the APC, Rotimi Amaechi, urged party supporters to vote the party all through to ensure a smooth running of the APC administration.

” APC will see votes, but I must advise you, PDP has a rigging machinery. You have to do APC SAK without mistake.

“PDP will be happy if you make mistakes during the poll.

“President Buhari has lived all his life a hero and you owe him that duty of returning him to power,” Mr Amaechi said.

Mr Oshiomhole said Kaduna was home to the president and himself and residents would ensure the president was victorious in his election.

He called on the electorate in the state to reject the PDP that was responsible for the collapse of the biggest textile industries in Kaduna.

He handed the APC flag to the three senatorial candidates in the state and wished them well in the February 16 polls.

(NAN)
SSA/IA