Atiku reaffirms commitment to restructuring, uniting Nigeria

*Promises to end lingering fuel crisis, build more refineries

THE presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP,  Atiku Abubakar, has again declared his commitment to restructuring the country, especially devolution of more powers and resources to states.

Atiku, who spoke on Monday, at the presidential campaign rally of the PDP at the iconic Oxbow Lake Pavillion, Swali in Yengoa, the Bayelsa State Capital, promised to end the lingering fuel crisis in the country by building more refineries.

Describing Bayelsa as a PDP State that has produced governors and president, he also assured the mammoth crowd that thronged the campaign ground that his administration would tackle the incessant strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, in the country by increasing funding for the education sector.

He said: “I want to remind you, since the beginning of democracy in 1999, Bayelsa State has been PDP and PDP has been Bayelsa. Everything you see in Bayelsa State today was provided by PDP governments. Therefore, I am calling on you, the people of Bayelsa State, not to make the mistake of leaving PDP. You have provided governors and president and many more shall come. So, the future of Bayelsa State and Nigeria is tied to PDP. 

“I want to appeal to you, if you have listened to my programmes, I said I am committed to implementing five key programmes in this country, starting with the unification of this country because this country has never been this divided along a number of frontiers. I am going to give every part of this country a sense of belonging in the next PDP government.

“I promise to tackle insecurity, here in Bayelsa State, you have faced a number of security challenges, you have lost so many people due to breaches in law and order. I promise I will restore security in this country.

“Thirdly, I said I am going to tackle the economy of this country. The PDP government, if you recalled from 1999 to 2015 we had the best economy in Africa but the APC has come and pushed us back and brought us down. We promise that we will tackle the economy and make sure we provide jobs and opportunities for our young men and women to be gainfully employed either in the private or public sector.

“Again we promise that we will never see any more ASUU strike, we will devolve a lot of resources to education to make sure that our young men and women are properly educated and continue to go to school without any interruption. 

“Finally, we will restructure this country  and give you more resources and powers to deal with your governance, so you don’t go begging the Federal Government to come and do things for you when you are actually producing the resources of the country. We will devolve more powers and resources to the Niger-Delta.

“These are the key areas of our developmental programmes. I appeal for your support and understanding, cooperation so that we can achieve all these goals,” he declared. 

In his remarks, the PDP Vice Presidential Candidate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, said the the PDP has never lost any presidential election since 1999 till date in Bayelsa, adding that Bayelsa State and the Niger-Delta States must give PDP a minimum of 700,000 and five million votes respectively.  

Also speaking, the Senator representing Bayelsa West, Senator Seriake Dickson, said that Atiku should be elected president so as to implement his proposed policy of restructuring and power devolution.

He thanked Atiku for announcing him as his Technical Adviser on Restructuring and National Integration adding, “one of the most most important things is that Atiku should be elected  so that he can restructure Nigeria.”

Dickson said: “If you want power devolution, if you want restructuring, Atiku is the man to support. Atiku has been  part of the story of Bayelsa since 1999. I thank our leader for appointing me as his special adviser on Restructuring and National Integration.

“Nobody needs to preach to Atiku on  restructuring Nigeria, he is an original believer and proponent of it.”

Also, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State stated that Atiku is the only candidate who has been talking about resource control, and restructuring of the country which also dominate discussions in Ijaw nation.

He said with the election programmed to be conducted with BVAS, the youth and women are behind the PDP to deliver Atiku in February, describing the PDP Presidential candidate as President in waiting.  

Others, who spoke including the  party’s National Chairman, Iyorcha Ayu; the Director General of the PDP PCC, Governor Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); and Governor Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), assured  that a PDP government at the federal level would ensure improvement in the quality of lives of Niger-Deltans and Nigerians.

Culled from Vanguard