Solid Minerals, Ajaokuta Development: PPP the way to go – Tinubu

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has promised relevant stakeholders that his administration will invest in solid minerals and agro-processing sectors to boost the country’s economic growth.

He said would use Public-private partnership initiatives to boost the growth of the sectors for the benefit of Nigerians.

The former Lagos State governor also stated that he would ignore the untruths and rumours promoted by other parties to focus only on issue-based policy solutions.

Tinubu said this on Thursday, according to a statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Tunde Rahman, during a town hall meeting he held with mining and agro-processing stakeholders in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

He said, “We shall allow the desperate, devoid-of-substance campaigns of others to engage in divisive identity politics and the promotion of untruths and ugly rumours.

“We, the APC, shall continue to stand before the Nigerian people to discuss the real issues of the day and offer insight into the policy solutions we intend to deploy to solve them. In this, we remain the best and only hope for progressive good governance in Nigeria.

“Few nations are as well-endowed as Nigeria, given our industrious, energetic population and our vast inventory of land, water and natural resources. Our beloved nation has abundant, commercially viable solid mineral deposits such as coal, limestone, iron ore, bitumen, lead, zinc, gold and a variety of gemstones.

“It is the obligation of government to use these gifts wisely to benefit the nation and improve the living standards of the average Nigerian.”

Tinubu also promised miners that he would complete the Ajaokuta Steel Company and make it fully operational again.

In his address, the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, noted that Tinubu’s engagement with the mining community would also afford the opportunity to know the economic potentials of the state in mining and agriculture.

“I thank Asiwaju Tinubu for visiting our state and our people have always wanted to see you ask you questions and you are here to answer their questions,” he said.

On his part, the Director-General of Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Simon Lalong, described the Lafia town hall meeting as another worthy engagement between Tinubu and critical stakeholders in Nasarawa State after similar events in Kano, Lagos and Niger states.

Also speaking at the session, the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, explained, “We are tired of potentials in this country, we want to see the real things. Nigerians need to see the action plan of our candidate and they will see in detail what Tinubu and our party want to do. We are convinced our tomorrow will be better than our today.”

The town hall session also had in attendance the House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, Governor of Kastina, Aminu Bello Masari, Governor of Borno, Prof. Babagana Zulum, former Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Muhammad.

Meanwhile, a former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Femi Pedro, on Thursday reassured Nigerians that Tinubu would do away with the regime of fuel subsidy if elected.

This is even as he promised that his former boss would create one million jobs for the populace in his first two years in office.

The former chief executive officer of FinBank Limited gave the assurance at a one-day symposium on ‘Dissecting the manifesto of Asiwaju Tinubu’, which was organised by the APC Professionals Forum in Abuja.

Pedro was a deputy when Tinubu won his re-election into office as governor in April 2003.

He however fell out with the APC national leader after he declared his intention to run for the next governorship election.

GOGAN TV