The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday said the type of leadership that he and his running mate, Mr. Peter Obi, offer Nigerians has not been seen in the country since Independence.
Atiku, who spoke during a town hall meeting with representatives of the business community in Aba, Abia State, blamed the ruling All Progressives Congress for allegedly instigating economic regression in the country.
According to the PDP candidate, Nigerians cannot afford to have 50 million unemployed men and women.
He said, “That is why there is insecurity. To be able to do business, you must have a secure environment. Otherwise, you will not even be able to come out of your house and go to your factory.
“We have two very experienced men, both in governance and business: Peter Obi and myself. I don’t think Nigeria has ever produced this type of leadership since Independence. If you are doubting us, you know what you should do? Try the two of us.
“If you’re producing juice, I’m a manufacturer of beverages. If you’re producing plastics, I’m a manufacturer of plastics. If you have poultry, I’m a manufacturer of livestock.
“If you’re selling food in the market, I own fast food (restaurants). If you are in printing, I have a printing industry. If you are into broadcasting, I own television stations.
“So, what are you going to tell me?”
Abubakar stated that his various companies had been spending N600m to pay for trucks haulage until he decided to start his own haulage business.
“I sat down with them and said, ‘No, we must go into road haulage. Let’s have our own trucks. I can’t spend N600m on mere road haulage.’ And today, we’re in a successful haulage industry.“So, my brothers and sisters, the government that has tried to solve most of the challenges that the business community are facing in this country is the PDP government and here is another opportunity, so you don’t repeat the mistake of bringing back this government,” he said.