Rtd. General Mohammad Buhari who is the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress has made known some things he would ban if he is elected as the next president of Nigeria.
Buhari made it known that if he is elected as the president come February 14, he would stop the importation of some food items that the country has the capacity to produce. Punch reports that Buhari specifically has plans to ban the importation of rice and tomato so as to help in enhancing the food products locally.
Making it known that his administration plans to be keen on agriculture, mining, infrastructure and job provision, Buhari made this known while in a meeting with the Organised Private Sector in Lagos, yesterday. He also added that for his administration, emphasis will also be on three key issues which are security, tackling corruption and reviving the ailing economy.
He also made it known that the step that the Goodluck Jonathan administration took in privatizing the power utilities is a very welcomed idea but his administration will go the extra mile to also privatize the transmission segment. According to him, the privatisation of the power sector has yet to achieve the desired result because after the handing over of the assets to private investors, the hard work to connect the various parts of the power chain, supply gas, install transformers and complete substations has not been done.In his words,
“How can Nigeria be importing virtually everything? How can we be importing even tomatoes? If I am elected, basic items like rice and tomatoes, which we have the capacity to produce, will be banned from being imported. “Our studies show that we will require no less than 200,000 trained personnel to support the initiative to provide power and light up Nigeria.
“Apart from the inherent direct employment that this will give, the reduction in the cost of production, the savings from self-generation by Nigerians, who currently spend a lot of their income on purchase of diesel and petrol to generate their own electricity, will reduce the burden on their disposable income.”
Buhari also made it known that if voted into power, his administration will join hands in helping to build a Lagos refinery which has always been the plans of the Lagos state government. He made mention of construction of highways too….Buhari said, “Road construction alone will unlock value chain of opportunities for construction companies, builders, engineers, architects, quarry operators, cement and iron rod producers and suppliers.
“The successful opening up of Nigeria by the construction of new roads and highways will revive road transport, truck manufacture, tyre manufacture as well as engine oil and brake pad production on one hand. It will also create a demand for job for mechanics, drivers and those engaged in transport support businesses. “We expect a revival of all the interstate economies to thrive across Nigeria, providing support to travellers by way of canteens, restaurants, farm produce etc.”
Talking about corruption, Buhari made it known that it has eaten deep into the skin of the country. He however promised to tackle it properly if he is voted into power. Buhari reiterated that the alleged $20bn missing crude oil proceeds, which was estimated to be equal to about N4.2tn, were nearly a year’s budget. He said with N5m per vehicle, the amount could provide 840,000 patrol vehicles to help improve on the security of towns and villages across the country.
The APC presidential candidate also noted that the amount could provide 311,000 buses that could revolutionise the transport sector of the economy. He said, “If the average cost of generating one megawatt of power is about $1.5m (excluding gas and distribution costs), $20bn would have brought us over 13,333MW of power. What a difference that will make in the country!
The meeting, which had all the key members of the APC in attendance, was hosted by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola.
Meanwhile, General Buhari has disclosed that he will not participate in any presidential debate, but will instead, host town hall meetings with Nigeriansacross the nation.
