At APC rally in Yobe, Buhari says: I’m an orphan, education got me enlisted into Army

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has underscored the need for education, saying as an orphan who never knew his father, he got enlisted into the Nigerian Army because of his education.

President Buhari  also told Nigerians to vote the All Progressives Congress(APC) Tinubu/ Shettima ticket which he said,  would consolidate on the legacies of the APC-led government.

The president spoke Tuesday in Hausa at the August 27 Stadium  Damaturu, Yobe state, during the campaign rally of  both the APC  presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the state’s governorship candidate, Mai Mala Buni.

He told the mammoth crowd how Boko Haram inflicted damage on them, their property and the economy, before being decimated by the Nigeria Armed Forces and security agencies.

Speaking to parents and guardians on the need to discountenance of the Boko Haram(book is evil) ideology, Buhari said: “Make sure you send your children to school and make them understand that whatever you have in this world can be taken away from you except the knowledge you have in your head.

“I was an orphan; I did not know my father. I spent nine years in a boarding school and because of education I was enlisted into the Nigerian Army. I want you to strengthen your faith, try your best to uphold the children and family God has entrusted to you. Do not betray that trust.”

On Tinubu/Shettima ticket

Making a case for a Tinubu presidency, President Buhari called on eligible voters in the state and the northeastern part of the country to vote the APC presidential candidate during the forthcoming general elections.

“I accompanied Asiwaju here to tell you to vote for him so that he can continue with my legacy of rebuilding Nigeria,” the president said.

He said a vote for Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, would guarantee the sustenance of progress made in the economy,  security,  and education sectors of the country.

The president said with the victory against terrorists in the region, the APC-led government was more than ready to defeat whoever threatens forces of disunity in Nigeria.

To the APC flagbearers in the forthcoming general elections, President Buhari challenged them to ensure good governance when elected and not to disappoint the electorate.

He said the ruling party had done its utmost in the last eight years at the federal level and would continue to ensure the progress, prosperity and stability of Nigeria.

Tinubu’s remarks

In his remarks, the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Tinubu, urged Nigerians to reject the lies peddled by the opposition parties on the Buhari-led administration.

“This government is a government of progress, integrity and honesty,” he said.

The party’s standard flag bearer further  lauded Buhari for the return of peace and normalcy in the Northeast region of the country, promising his(Tinubu) government would turn the region into the agro-allied processing Centre of Nigeria.

“We will give you good jobs that you can depend on. Agriculture will come back. Hunger will go away. We will give you what is necessary, consumer credit to build houses and roofs over your heads,” he said.

Tinubu also promised to make the perennial strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) history, adding that undergraduates would  not need to spend extra years in the university beyond the standard duration of course of study.

He urged the people of Yobe and Northeast Nigeria to vote APC candidates in the general elections, assuring that Nigeria economic prosperity will blossom under his watch.

Tinubu also promised that if elected as president, he would  use the newly commissioned Yobe Cargo airport to boost agriculture in the state and praised Buhari for the airport project and other laudable projects across the country he described as  wise investments.

“The cargo airport Mr. President commissioned yesterday will be greatly needed when our agenda for greater production of agricultural and industrial exports begins to take off.

“It is a wise investment made with courage and foresight.  It will be needed to transport Yobe’s excellent sesame, hibiscus and gum Arabic to the rest of the world,” he said.

Speaking further on agriculture, he said: “Harnessing our agricultural endowment is more than an economic desire.  It is a matter of national security. We need to further guarantee our food security to better ensure social stability and lay the groundwork for even more economic progress.

“We will establish agricultural hubs and irrigation and water catchment systems to assist farmers throughout the nation. Yields and harvests will increase. More importantly, we will encourage value-added agro-processing businesses that will foster greater economic activity creating well paid jobs and bringing better products to local markets and to your family’s dinner table.

“We will invest in the individual small farmer. You will earn a good and guaranteed income through the establishment of Commodity Exchange boards that will ensure an acceptable price for the crops you labor so hard to grow.”

On the investment and tourism opportunities available in the state, Tinubu promised to work with the state government to invest in the exploration of the precious mineral resources found in Yobe State

“Your limestone, trona and gypsum will create jobs and earn money for the state.  Yobe’s tourism potentials of the beautiful landscapes, sand dunes, oases and bird sanctuaries will be highlighted,” he added.

He also promised to create jobs for the people of the state, while also improving their access to quality education.

“The youth of Yobe will be better integrated into the national and world economy in ways that help and benefit you. We will empower you with the right education that would make you competitive in the global economy.

“The best of technology will be made available to you. Whether it is the best of knowledge in modern agriculture, the digital economy or in manufacturing and industry, that education will come closer and be more accessible to you.

“We will work with private sector leaders to make sure your education reflects the skills you will need to prosper in the economy of the future.

“We will tackle and reduce unemployment.  My dream is that you are prosperous and never idle. You will have good jobs or will become thriving  entrepreneurs giving jobs to others.

“You are a proud people and you will become a source of pride to the nation and to Africa.  We are planning big and good things for you,” Tinubu also said.

Continuing, the former lawmaker said:  “Yobe has always been a progressive state. You have never allowed the locusts to land here and feast on what does not belong to them.  Instead, you have been loyal to the progressive cause of building a state and nation both of which have the sole mission of serving their people.

“You have supported this noble cause and the APC, our nation’s best and only true hope for good governance. Now, we are here to ask you to remain true to this proud tradition. Continue to support us progressives.”

Lawan

Also addressing the crowd, Senate President Ahmed Lawan promised APC would win every contestable seat in Yobe state, because President Buhari had done wonderfully well in the seven and half years in office.

He accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of destroying Nigeria during its 16 years in power, saying “they should be ashamed of themselves and have no right to go around Nigeria seeking for votes.”

‘‘We are all Buharists and that Buharism- integrity and love for country-will continue when you (President Buhari) hand over to Asiwaju.”

The rally had in attendance  all the APC governors from the region, National Chairman  Abdullahi Adamu, the vice presidential candidate, Shettima, Plateau state Governor and Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council, Simon Lalong, as well as Chairman Progressive Governors’ Forum and Kebbi state Governor  Atiku Bagudu, among others.

Obi on brain drain

Also, the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi,  has said his administration, if elected, would rejig all the sectors and parts of the country with a view to ending brain drain and overseas health tourism.

Obi said this Tuesday at the presidential campaign flag-off  in Onitsha,  the commercial nerve of Anambra state.

He said  what stood him out from other presidential candidates  was that himself and his running-mate, Yusuf Daitti Ahmed, are wealth creators with capacity to manage it.

Obi said, “with the team in office, Nigeria would be developed to an extent that people would no longer have the urge to relocate out of the country, even as the government will build six additional international airports, as well as dredge river Niger and River Benue.”

“All we’re coming to do is to end suffering and build a new Nigeria. Nigeria today, nobody is safe, family begging to eat. We will secure and unite Nigeria. What I did in Anambra, I’ll do in Nigeria. We’ll negotiate, but whoever that refuses, we’ll tell him there’s government. Every part of Nigeria will be productive. We will open roads.

“Those who left Nigeria will come back; we’ll face exportation to stabilize and reverse naira if we assume power. They say I’m stingy. Between those who stole and those who saved them, who do you prefer? If our previous leaders were stingy, we wouldn’t have been where we are today. The more you employ people; you’ll pull them out of poverty. I’ll fight poverty and out of school children in Nigeria.

“All parts of Nigeria will celebrate me. The work of a leader is not to complain but to find solutions. We’re not going to remind you of your past, but build your future. We’ll use factor of endowment, taking advantage of oil in South South, groundnut in North. We’ll ensure police won’t harass  you again. We’ll recruit more officers and train them to know how to relate with the public,” he stated.

Also speaking, Alhaji Datti-Ahmed said he was in the race with Obi because of his antecedent as former governor, and his own belief in justice, equality and fairness.

Earlier, LP National Chairman Julius Abure urged the electorate to elect all the candidates of the party because they are credible and able to deliver on their mandates.