Senate President and a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential hopeful, Bukola Saraki, Wednesday, said that the bold vision of the Cross River State governor, Prof Ben Ayade, as encapsulated in his signature projects of the deep seaport and the superhighway, was what the nation desires at the moment.
Saraki, who was at the State Executive Chamber, Calabar with his campaign team to canvass support for his aspiration come October 5th and 6th presidential convention, maintained that all the nation needed was a president that supports business.
“You have a governor who said I want to build a deep seaport, and to show his thinking, he maintained that after the port, I have to evacuate the items through a superhighway, that is a big idea and that is what this country requires and desires. I believe we need a government that supports business and that interacts with the private sector as government cannot do all alone,” the presidential aspirant remarked.
The Senate President intimated that his administration will create an enabling environment for investors.
He pointed out that, “the time is over for sentiment as sentiment has not taken us anywhere in leadership. It is time for capacity and ability; I have the courage, determination and doggedness to beat all these.”
Continuing, Saraki who is also the Wazirin Ilorin said, ” There is a new world order, it requires a president that is mobile, digital, and with the capacity that can plan for his people and has a destination that the people seek. Everybody is waiting for when all these will come to Nigeria, it has finally come at this time.”
The presidential aspirant further admitted that the nation cannot afford to make mistakes at this point in time as, “it is not just about voting out APC, it is about voting out APC, restructuring and repairing Nigeria,” adding that, “to achieve all these, we need a president that knows what the issues are.”
Responding, Ayade noted that Cross River was bedeviled by the security challenges from Cameroon, not benefitting from the 13 percent derivation, the loss of 76 oil wells and its revenue that is less than the salary of an expanded workforce. He pleaded for a sovereign guarantee to allow direct foreign investment.
The governor who was emotional at some point argued that, “you cannot dislodge and dislocate the people of Bakassi to look as if they are IDPs in their own state and town. You deny them access to the oil wells, you take away all they got,” reasoning that “all they ask is to support them build their deep seaport as a means to create an alternative income.”
Ayade also said: “I believe that the Nigeria we see, the Nigeria we look forward to tomorrow, it is the Nigeria that creates opportunity for egalitarian distribution of wealth, creating opportunity for each federating state to have the opportunity to harness its potentials.”
To the delegates, the governor advised them to vote according to their conscience for the very best they want for the nation and make the only choice that will bring prosperity to the state.
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