Tinubu meets Muslim leaders, promises to diversify economy

All Progressives Congress presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu promised on Sunday that his administration would revive manufacturing and diversify the economy for the benefit of all.

The former Governor of Lagos State said this, according to a statement released by his media assistant, Mr. Tunde Rahman, during a town hall meeting with Muslim leaders from the south. west to Ibadan, Oyo State.

Tinubu said, “As far as the economy is concerned, we seek to repair the very structure of the economy. We can no longer thrive as an economy based on natural resource extraction.

“We need to become a vibrant and diverse economy where those who want to work can find good jobs. But let's also be a society compassionate enough to help those who can't help themselves.

"We must revive manufacturing and industrial growth to create jobs as well as produce the goods and services that improve the daily lives of the average person.

"We seek a minimum of 6% growth per year through industrial policy reform, infrastructure improvements, power sector innovation and significant budget reform."

The APC candidate also urged religious leaders to encourage their followers to turn out to vote in the upcoming elections.

"I ask you to urge your followers to come out and vote wisely. Vote for a candidate who has a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria where tolerance and compassion underpin tend our constitutional and legal rights. My promise of fairness and justice is consistent with the tenets of the Islamic faith.

“A leader in a plural society like ours must be the leader of all. If elected, I will govern honestly and democratically in harmony with our nation's constitution,” he added.

Also speaking at the event, the President of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, noted that the event offered the APC candidate the opportunity to interact with Muslim leaders in the South West about his plans for the nation if elected, "especially how he could make the country a land of great opportunity where no man will be oppressed." /p>

National Missionary Leader of Anwar-ur-Deen Movement, Sheikh Ahmad Abdulrahman said: "The gathering was not to campaign or endorse Asiwaju or any other candidate, but to research and find out and see if Asiwaju Tinubu can still deliver for the country like he did as Governor of Lagos State."

Strike for Atiku

Meanwhile, the APC Campaign Council on Sunday urged Nigerians not to fall for the "sugar coated" promises of the opposition People's Democratic Party presidential candidate , Atiku Abubakar.

The development comes just hours after Atiku pledged to provide all natives of Abuja with their rights and nominations if elected.

Atiku made the pledge during the PDP presidential rally in Abuja on Saturday, while promising to secure the ambitions of the people of Abuja in a revised constitution.

However, the APC presidential campaign council opposed Atiku's proposed development and warned that the opposition standard bearer was trying too hard to mislead the people with empty promises.

This was revealed in a statement released in Abuja on Sunday by APC PCC Media and Publicity Manager Bayo Onanuga.

Onanuga says a party that should be eternally ashamed of its appalling governance record between 1999 and 2015 is busy trying to rewrite history and embellish the 'locust years' as if it were a golden age in the history of Nigeria.

He said, "We must warn Nigerians to beware of the sugar-coated promises of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his People's Democratic Party as they embark on their campaign disproportionate and desperate to seize power at all costs.

"What is most shocking is the audacity of Atiku who stood up to ask for our votes despite what his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, wrote about him in his book, "My Watch". Obasanjo wrote that it would have been an unforgivable mistake and a sin against God to impose him on Nigeria. Until tomorrow, Obasanjo believes in it."

Onanuga accused Atiku of "spewing a series of lies, making empty promises, and presenting a false narrative about our current reality and the legacy of the dastardly 16-year era of the PDP administration, of which he was a main actor.

"He claimed at his rally in Abuja on Saturday that the country was not safe for trade and agriculture, a false narrative he has been circulating for some time, ever since he moved to Nigeria from his base in Dubai, mainly to contest the election...