The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has declared that he is ready to hit the ground running from day one if elected Nigeria’s President in 2023.

Tinubu said Nigeria needs an “experienced torchbearer” to guide the country through the doors of security, prosperity, and greatness.

He said his experience as Lagos State Governor where he transformed the state to one of the leading economies in Africa places him in the best position to help achieve this with his running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima, if elected as president in the 2023 general election.

The two-term former governor of Lagos State said this at the unveiling of his campaign policy document tagged, ‘Renewed hope: Action plan for a better Nigeria’, and the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday.

Tinubu said: “It is, therefore, fitting that we are unveiling the Tinubu/Shettima Action Plan for a Better Nigeria today. This Plan is not only a roadmap to a prosperous future, it serves as notice to the Nigerian people that, if elected, Senator Shettima and I shall work tirelessly to reach that promised future from the first moment of the first day we enter office.

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“The doors to security, prosperity, and greatness are open to us. We must step through these portals, guided by a torchbearer with the experience and mettle to shoulder the task ahead. Nothing short of this will suffice.

“I seek to become the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because I know the way. My experience and past performance assure that. It will be through collective effort and national endeavour that we join hands, cross divides, and achieve our vision.”

The APC presidential flag-bearer said his campaign roadmap was borne out of interactions with Nigerians across the country who shared their needs and aspirations with him and Shettima in the course of their travelling around the country.

“I ask you to join Senator Shettima and me on this journey. We have traversed every part of our nation, listening to the concerns and yearnings of Nigerians for a more prosperous and equitable society – better able to acknowledge and nurture the dreams of her people. We share the peoples’ desire for a peaceful Nigeria where we all coexist in fairness, prosperity, and with balanced representation in positions of authority.

“After visiting and meeting our compatriots; young and old, poor and rich, educated and uneducated, Christian and Muslim; we recognise that no Nigerian wants empty answers to hard questions at this hour.

“The country does not need fancy promises or foreign experiments. Nigerians seek sustained progress and reform through stable governance and proven leadership.

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“We need true and innovative solutions that address the specific challenges of each of our 36 states and our over 200 million people. We need our own Miracle on the Niger River,” Tinubu added.

The former governor further promised that his administration will provide sufficient jobs with decent wages, “revive manufacturing industries, generate, transmit and distribute sufficient and affordable electricity; manufacture, produce and market good quantities of the essential goods and services; export more and import less to strengthen the Naira; make food available and affordable; modernise and expand public infrastructure.”

This, he said, his administration will achieve by building on the foundation laid by President Buhari’s administration.

Tinubu added: “Based on our unshakable faith in our people and standing on the foundation established by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, we shall build a Nigeria where sufficient jobs with decent wages create a better life for all and a future of promise for our youth.

“Revive our manufacturing industries and place Nigeria back on the path of industrialisation and job creation.

“Generate, transmit and distribute sufficient, affordable electricity to give our people the necessary power to drive their businesses and brighten their homes. Power is key to unlocking the potential of our national economy.

“Manufacture, produce and market increased quantities of the essential goods and services we require. Nigeria shall be known as a nation of creators, not just consumers.

“Export more and import less in order to earn more foreign exchange and strengthen the Naira.

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“Deliver food security and affordability by continuing to prioritise agriculture and assist farmers and other players in the agricultural value chain through enlightened policies that promote productivity and guarantee robust incomes.

“Modernise and expand public infrastructure to stimulate economic growth at an optimal rate.

“Embolden and support our young people and women to participate more in politics and governance.

“Harness emerging sectors such as the digital economy, entertainment, tourism, and sport to build, today, the Nigeria of tomorrow.

“Train and give economic opportunity to people with disabilities, the poor, and the vulnerable. We seek a Nigeria where no parent is compelled to send a child to bed hungry, worried whether tomorrow shall bring food.

“Make affordable healthcare, education, and housing accessible for all.”

Tinubu further pledged to give grant importance to “lead and deliver bold and assertive security measures to enable a strong yet adaptive national security architecture that will obliterate terror, kidnapping, banditry, and violent crime from the face of our nation.”

The APC presidential candidate, who called on Nigerians to offer their inputs to his nation-building drive which he termed, ‘our gift and duty to each other’, hailed APC National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, for strengthening the party organisation ahead of the 2023 general election.

The Star