Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party, and Bola Tinubu, the candidate for the incumbent APC, have both announced plans for Northern Nigeria if they are elected President.
Obi promised to revive the moribund cotton and textile industries and a full exploration of the cattle economy value chain. He also said he will focus on Northern Nigerian infrastructure, including roads, energy, power, and dams.
Tinubu, on the other hand, noted that he will explore the oil reserves in the Benue trough and Chad basin.
Note that Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu made these promises while speaking during the Arewa Joint Committee Interactive Session in Kaduna on Monday.
What they said:
Obi said he will offer an immediate and decisive long-lasting, and permanent solution to all the security challenges in the North and
put measures in place that will enable farmers to return to their farmlands.
“We will make Nigeria’s arable lands in the North her new oil and gold,
incentivise the resuscitation of the moribund cotton and textile industries, and full exploration of the cattle economy value chain, notably the $75 billion global hide and skin economy.
“Nigeria’s share of the global industry is envisaged to generate over $1bn by 2025; and finally, ensure very generous deployment and allocation of economic and social projects and infrastructure in the North – with keen attention to roads, energy, power, and dams- and solar energy from Sunlight,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tinubu noted that there is abundant oil and gas in the Benue Trough, Chad Basin, and other prospective locations in the North. And these opportunities would be explored.
“These gas projects will fast-track the industrialization of the areas and increase revenue generation significantly for the entire country,”
“I will develop a blueprint that will attract local and international institutional investors for both exploration and exploitation of these resources for international trading.”
He also promised to end kidnapping and banditry not only through increasing policing footprint and capacity but also through other soft approaches that would promote inclusion and boost the economy of our local communities.
What you should know
- Nairametrics reported in 2020 that about one billion barrels of crude oil were discovered in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria.
- This presents huge export opportunities for the Nigerian economy when explored.
Obi’s policies appears smarter