7 Takeaways as Tinubu Meets Organised Labour, Reveals His Plans for Nigeria
- APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu met with Labour leaders in Abuja ahead of the 2023 general election
- Wooing the Labour leaders, the former Lagos governor said he is the most qualified to lead Nigeria among the presidential candidates
- Comrades Ayuba Wabba and Festus Osifo led the two Labour associations, the NLC and the NUC, to the event
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FCT, Abuja - The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has urged Organised Labour to pitch its tent with him in the 2023 presidential election, saying he has a track record for good governance.
A statement sent to Legit.ng by the Tinubu Media Office indicates the former Lagos governor said this during a Townhall meeting with Organised Labour at Chida Hotel Conference Centre in Abuja on Monday, December 19.
Source: UGC
The session, which was used to dissect the Tinubu-Shettima Action Plan for a Better Nigeria was well attended by Labour leaders from the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), among others.
Comrades Ayuba Wabba and Festus Osifo led the two Labour associations to the event.
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Vice Presidential Candidate Senator Kashim Shettima, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara) as well as Hon James Faleke, Secretary of the Campaign Council, and other APC leaders attended the interactive session.
Here's a key summary of what transpired at the meeting:
Tinubu says he's the most qualified
Addressing the Labour leaders, Tinubu said he is the most qualified to lead Nigeria among the presidential candidates.
In his speech, the APC flagbearer said his antecedents as former Lagos state governor, during which he transformed the state and powered it to the 5th largest economy in Africa it is today, stands him out and makes him a better candidate ahead of his competitors.
Major challenges facing Nigeria's economy, according to Tinubu
Tinubu listed the problems of unemployment, lack of credit system to allow workers to own houses, poverty, challenges in the educational sector, and weak industrial base of the economy as what he is coming to address as the President of Nigeria.
He took a swipe at his contenders, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party flagbearer, Peter Obi.
“Today, the questions you all you must ask yourselves are these: who can be trusted to accomplish all of this? The man who has done it before, or the man whose most lasting achievement as Vice President is the corrupt sale of national assets to his friends and cronies?
“Who has the better plan? The man whose blueprint guided the emergence of Lagos State as fifth largest economy in Africa or the man whose greatest pride is the amount of money he managed to bury in sand while his state’s infrastructure decayed and its workers suffered endless hardship?
“The choice is yours. But permit me to now talk a little about myself and my vision.
“I have always been and will continue to be a progressive democrat. In my worldview, government has a cardinal responsibility to work not only with business but also with labour to ensure that all constituent parts of our society are afforded their fair share of rewards without taking on undue hardship,” Tinubu said.
2023 presidency: Tinubu reveals what stands him out
Further speaking on what stands him out, Tinubu said just like the labour leaders, he has been at the forefront of fighting the government for good governance all his life, a move for which he was detained and eventually forced into exile.
He added:
“As Organised Labour, you have been at the forefront of the workers’ rights movement in Nigeria, championing economic fairness and the welfare of the average person, the weak and the forgotten.
“You have also been involved in the struggle for democracy and political rights. Your collective efforts breathe life into the democratic rights and economic ideals enshrined in our constitution.
“I can speak fondly of your impact on our nation because of my personal history on the frontlines of the social justice movement.
“I may be running for president now, but I was not always in this position. Long before I started running for the presidency, I was running away from military dictators angered by my important role in protests against them and their efforts to vanquish our democratic aspirations.
“The defining moment of my public life came during Nigeria’s struggle for democracy and my membership in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) movement.
“I have dedicated my entire being to that cause. I was detained, then was forced into exile because of my refusal to accept anything less than a government based on the proposition that the will of the people is sovereign and should reign over armed might and imposition.
“I believe that those assembled here today share the same ideals of progressive and democratic good governance. I have spent my political life advocating for the rights and interests of ordinary Nigerians as you also do. We have long been fellow travellers on the same road. I hope that we shall continue as friends and brothers.
My plans for Nigeria if elected, Tinubu reveals
Speaking on his plans if elected, Tinubu said his administration would make the fiscal and monetary policies work for the workers and Nigerians so they can have a good life.
He also said he would ensure the nation is massively industrialised to give more people better-paying jobs, while also opening doors to more emerging sectors younger ones can harness.
“My Action Plan for a Better Nigeria, sets out a vision of opportunity, social justice and prosperity for all. I seek a Nigeria where sufficient jobs with decent wages give people the chance to live better lives. Where the private sector thrives, we will not disrupt it. However, where the private sector cannot do it alone, my government will take the lead in lending a helping hand.
“For young Nigerians, my goal will be to open the doors wide to emerging sectors such as the digital economy, entertainment and culture, and tourism. Specific policies will empower women and young people to become more active in our nation’s leadership.
“Our industrial policy will help Nigerian businesses manufacture, create, and invent more of the goods and services we require and to export more of those products across the globe. We will modernise and expand public infrastructure to create jobs, develop skills and spur rapid growth across all economic sectors, giving real opportunity to those who previously only dreamed of it," Tinubu said.
He also added that his government would protect Nigerians and their property, strengthen the national security architecture to end terror, kidnapping, banditry, and all other forms of violent extremism and bring policing and the police closer to the communities they serve.
He promised to foster a closer partnership with Organised Labour where dialogue on major policy issues and cooperation will become the order of the day.
Tinubu is the best, says Isa Aremu
In his remarks, a former Deputy President of NLC and Director of the Labour Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Comrade Isa Aremu, told the Labour leaders and workers that the choice before them and Nigerians in the next election is who among the presidential candidates is truly committed, tested and trusted to protect workers and the poor and who is ready to industrialise the country to bring back decent jobs and good pay.
Comrade Aremu said Tinubu is the best to deliver on the priorities of the workers.
Adams Oshiomole speaks on Tinubu's plan
Meanwhile, the Deputy Director-General of the APC PCC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, noted that Tinubu's Action Plan will bring back dead industries like Kaduna Textile that once employed over 4000 workers.
Oshiomhole charged the labour movement and civil society that the basis for their support for a presidential candidate should be who among the candidates has social and economic policies that will make life better for the working families in Nigeria. The former Edo State Governor said Asiwaju Tinubu is the best candidate for the workers to adopt because of his antecedents as a successful governor in Lagos.
NLC President Wabba speaks
In his remarks, NLC President, Comrade Wabba presented the workers' charter of demands which includes a total war on corruption.
According to him, corruption has almost destroyed the social and economic fabric of Nigeria across the private and public sectors and a reason the country is not making the desired progress.
"In Nigeria, our problem is people problem and we must have a government that will prioritise the fight against corruption. This is a key demand of Labour. We also need government that will make social and economic justice a priority," he said.
Responding to a question on corruption, Asíwájú Tinubu said his administration would have a zero-tolerance to corruption by strengthening anti-corruption agencies.
On crude out theft, he said if elected, he would ensure maximum deployment of technology to monitor, protect pipelines and block theft, while also condemning those receiving stolen crude, saying if there is no receiver, there won't be a supplier.
Apologise to Nigerians instead of campaigning," Atiku/Okowa campaign blasts Tinubu
In another report, the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign on Saturday, December 17, dismissed the move by the Tinubu/ Shettima Campaign to compare the "prosperous years" of the PDP to the administration of the ruling APC.
A statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, the spokesperson for the Atiku/Okowa campaign organisation said that such an attempt by the APC is a further confirmation that the ruling party's presidential campaign is plagued by a lying spirit.
Ologbondiyan claimed it is clear to everyone that life in Nigeria was better under the PDP before Bola Tinubu and his APC "beguiled Nigerians and brought in a deceptive, corrupt and incompetent administration that has wrecked our economy and foisted an era of pain, sorrow, anguish and mass killing on the nation and the people."
Source: Legit.ng
