The Presidential campaign train of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached Kogi on Saturday, as the Presidential candidate of the party, Abubakar Atiku promised the people to revive the moribund Ajaokuta Steel Company.
The former Vice President of Nigeria, speaking at the Confluence Stadium in Lokoja, described the challenges hindering the revival of the company as a nightmare that he is prepared to solve.
Atiku also promised to implement programmes that will bring the inland port in the state to life, noting that it is a general concern for the northern part of the country.
“Most of your challenges have been enumerated by the previous speakers. One of them is the issue of Ajaokuta. I want to confirm here that if you give us the support and elect a PDP government, the nightmare of Ajaokuta will be a thing of the past. I assure you this, and it is a promise I have made on behalf of PDP.
“I also want to promise you that the issue of your inland port is not only a Kogi issue, it’s the issue of all Northern Nigerians because through the development of the Port in Kogi, we also will have access to the maritime transportation in this country. It’s not Kogi matter, it’s our matter for the entire North of this country and I promise that, we will make sure we implement that programme,” he said.
He assured the people that if voted, the PDP will put an end to non-payment of salaries in the state, promising more jobs for the youths and women in the state.
“What I have seen from Obajana up to Lokoja is thousands of thousands of young men and women. We will give you jobs. If we don’t give you jobs, we will give you businesses to do. You know I have promised to set aside ten billion US dollars to empower our young men and women so that they can keep their own businesses and have a comfortable life.
“Let me also assure you that the issue of University closure where our children will be out of school for seven eight months, will be a thing of the past.”
Atiku said that the PDP is the solution to the problems of the state, urging the people to vote the party if they want the issues resolved.
According to him, no development has taken place in Kogi State since PDP left the government.
Earlier, the PDP received the Chairman of Governor Yahaya Bello’s Elders Advisory Council, Yahaya Karaku; immediate past Deputy Governor of the state, Simon Achuba; former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Umar Ahmed Imam, and amongst other decampees from the All Progressives Congress.
