President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday, declared that with the hitherto abandoned Ajaokuta Steel Complex nearing completion, the project will have the capacity to employ 500,000 Nigerians once designated as a free trade zone.
The President also promised to fully harness potentials of the complex once it is completed, as it would boost Nigeria’s foreign direct investment and provide avenue for the creation of much-needed favourable business environment for all sectors to thrive.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented the President, made this known at the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
The governorship poll in the state is slated for November 11.
Addressing a mammoth crowd in Lokoja, Shettima also noted that Tinubu remained committed to completing the Kabba-Lokoja and the Abuja-Lokoja roads.
Tinubu, the Vice President stated, is a man of plenty ideas who is determined to reposition the nation in its rightful place, especially as it borders on restructuring and stimulating the Nigerian economy.
“Given Mr. President’s commitment to the development of Kogi State and indeed the entirety of Nigeria, Kogi, in particular, being a confluence state, cannot afford to have a governor who is hostile to the centre. We must be partners in progress and work hand in hand to develop this great nation,” the Vice President said.
He hinted about plans by the Tinubu administration to make the Itakpe crop processing project a dream come true, just as he promised jobs and affordable education under the current government.
Re-emphasising that the welfare of the citizenry would never be willfully compromised, Shettima called on Kogi citizens to come out en masse on November 11 to vote for the candidate of the APC, Ahmed Usman Ododo, to consolidate on achievements of the APC government in the state.
This came as a senator representing Niger East on the platform of APC, Sani Musa, advised Federal Government to privatise moribund oil refineries to achieve local refining of crude oil and make the price of petrol affordable.
Musa, who is the chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, made the call in Abuja on Saturday, while fielding questions from journalists on the 63rd independence anniversary of Nigeria.
He said: “Proceeds from such privatisation should be diversified into the mining sector to create jobs for the teeming Nigerian youth who are roaming the streets daily. The youth constitute 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population and must be made productive. This is possible if the mining and agricultural sectors are repositioned.”
