Frontline presidential aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Peter Obi, has assured Nigerians that if voted into power, he would move Nigeria’s economy up to production level rather than a consumption state which the country currently enjoys.
This he said would enable the country come out from it’s present economic quagmire or poverty state and join the league of developed nations.
While addressing party faithful in Owerri, Imo state capital, Thursday, the former Anambra state governor said the country’s economy had collapsed, and that the high rate of terrorism worsened the situation, regretting that Nigeria was now rated the 3rd worst terrorism country in the world after Afghanistan and Somali, with one form of criminality or the other happening on a daily basis.
Obi regretted that the poverty level of the country was worse than when put those of China and India together, as almost all citizens were in poverty, regretting that Nigerians spent more than 100% of their income to buy food.
He promised that he would adopt a formula for production rather than sharing which “brings down the economy”.
Obi who reminded his audience that he never owed salaries, gratuity, pensions, contractors etc in his eight-year administration in the state, assured that he would replicate that leadership style at the centre to turn around the economy and make Nigerians happy.
On how to achieve his much touted production economy, the former governor said he would cut down governorship costs as the monies involved were too much, adding that the extra monies used in governance should be used for some other things like establishing factories and financing businesses that would generate money instead of channelling them to drinking champagnes.
He also said he would do away with the office of the first lady because if voted into power, adding, “It was not my wife that was voted in but himself. the Ministry of Women Affairs was enough to take good care of women.”
While urging party faithful to join hands to make the country better, he advised delegates to look at the pictures of their children instead of his face while voting during the presidential primaries.
Earlier, former presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, had noted that the PDP had qualified presidential aspirsnts with commendable curriculum vitae but that Peter Obi was the champion of them all.
He added that it was the turn of the South East to produce the President of Nigeria to finally put an end to the civil war, adding that the South West and the South South had had their turns in the southern part of the country.
