Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate, has guaranteed the North that if elected president in 2023, he will focus on six priority areas for the North.
Obi spoke at an interactive session organized by the Arewa Joint Committee at the Arewa House Kaduna on Monday.
According to the former Anambra State Governor, his administration will pursue aggressive policies, programs, and projects to boost the productivity and competitiveness of all sectors of the Nigerian economy, particularly those in the north, by doing the following:
- Immediate and decisive long-lasting and permanent-effect resolution of all security challenges in the North;
- Ensure that farmers return to all farmlands for the 2023 farming Season. We will make Nigeria’s arable land in the North her new oil and gold;
- As part of its Marshall Plan for Education, his administration will foster Federal intervention in education at all levels in the North and partner with State Governments and international organizations to improve access to affordable and quality education at all levels;
- Ensure very adequate representation in government, and equitable appointments, especially in the Security and Economic Sectors;
- Incentivize the resuscitation of the moribund cotton and textile industries; and full exploration of the cattle economy value chain, notably the $75b 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.
The interactive session was organized by the Arewa Joint Committee which comprises the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Northern Elders For (NEF), Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF), Jamiyyar Matan Arewa (JMA) Arewa House (Center for Historical Development and Research) and Arewa Research Development Project (ARDP).
