People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Wednesday in Aba, Abia State, urged the people of the South-East region to join other regions in the country to vote out President Muhammadu Buhari.
Atiku, while addressing South-East business community at a town hall meeting held in Aba, observed that Nigeria had no business in voting for the All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that the party lacked the understanding, the capacity and the will to create jobs.
He explained that the interaction with the business community in South East was not borne out of politics, but because the zone was the hub of business in Nigeria.
The PDP presidential candidate assured the South-East business community that as a well known businessman, he cannot afford to sleep while businesses belonging to hardworking Nigerians were folding up.
“I’m delighted to be here to interact with the business community of South-East. Naturally, if you want to talk about the hub of business in Nigeria it is the South East, because from Lagos, Port Harcourt to the North, it is the people from South East that run businesses.
“I’m giving you my word that whatever can be done to improve business in this country, which is in the confinement of our laws, I’ll do it. If we really want to make Aba the hub of business in Africa, we must listen to people like you and all the challenges you’ve enumerated for me here are very evidence.
“As a businessman, I should know and I assure you that I know your problems very well. Your condition pains me so much, but we must work together to remove those problems.
“The current government in power doesn’t have the understanding, capacity and will to create jobs. This government has completely destroyed the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
“What we are going to do when elected is to make cost of doing businesses easier by introducing technological inputs in business. Nobody in this current government knows anything about Ports. Call it dry Port or normal seaport they don’t know anything.
“You have no business voting for APC. I want you to join me to say that Buhari must go. The only government that can change the business problems in this country is the PDP. I’m happy to be with you here and above all, to cooperate with you to send Buahri packing.”
Peter Obi, vice presidential candidate of the PDP, assured that Atiku Abubakar would not watch businesses in the country suffer as the current government was doing now because he was a businessman.
“Aba is the engine of manufacturing that can change Nigeria. The fastest growing cities in Nigeria today are Aba, Onitsha and Uyo. SME and entrepreneurship are the two things that can change the world, and Aba is the capital.
“Buhari says the economy is in a bad shape, which shows that he cannot handle it anymore. Atiku has created businesses and managed them. He knows how to solve power problems. Geometric is one of the saddest things that has happened to Nigerians. Over half a trillion naira was borrowed from a bank to put that power plant. And the effect of that gigantic project lying fellow is the reason why a bank here in Nigeria is almost dying.
“The ports are not issues to him, because he once worked at the port and can easily solve them. He is part of business and has ideas of what to do. Atiku came to solve your problems. People in government now don’t know what business is all about. I’m also a businessman and whatever he forgets I’ll remind him. A man who doesn’t have any business cannot solve business problems.”
Uche Secondus, national chairman of PDP, promised the business community that if they elect Atiku, he would be responsible and not pass the ball around.
“In 2014, we were recorded as the best economy in Africa, but today, we are capital of the world’s poverty, and Atiku will take responsibility. Buhari seems not to be aware of anything. He is not aware that our people are poor, he is not aware that our people are dying of hunger and depression.
“He is not even aware that his kitchen cabinets are corrupt. Atiku will never pass the ball as Buhari is doing. He will accept responsibility and solve problems.”
Meanwhile, the governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, urged the business community in the South East to take their destiny in their hands, by supporting business minded leaders.
He said Abia, especially Aba, as the SME capital of Nigeria, would become more vibrant if more serious attention was paid to the plight of business people in the area.
The interactive Town Hall Meeting, which brought together the Crème de la crème of entrepreneurs in the South East, gave them the opportunity to interact and share challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the zone with the PDP Presidential Candidate.
John Udeagbala, president, South-East Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (SECCIMA) stated that the South-East is a disadvantaged zone in all ramifications, when it comes to business.
Andy Ubah Obasi, president, Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA), reeled out the challenges, which includes, inadequate power supply, lack of functioning Sea-Ports (Oneh, Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar) and Ntigha Dry Port in Isiala Ngwa. He added Railway, poor federal roads and extortion by security agencies, who have formed the habit of mounting excessive checkpoints in the region.
He however noted that the abandoned Geometric Power Plant in Aba, has answer to the power needs of the commercial city.
He urged the former Vice president to supports the proposed Enyimba Economic City, if elected into office in 2019, which according to him, would help to ease the cost of doing business in the zone.
He also urged him to gives attention to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), nothing that with friendly economic policies that the South East can overtake China and Japan in industrialisation.
