The presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has vowed to build a better and stronger country if elected as president in the 2023 general election.

Tinubu, who also promised to work towards industrialising the country, said his concern is the development of Nigeria.

He described Nigeria as a talented nation, saying moving the country forward is a task that must be done.

He said this at a townhall meeting with party stakeholders on national transformation and industrialisation in Calabar, the Cross River State capital on Tuesday.

The APC presidential flag-bearer said: “We can build in the middle of difficulty, the US was fighting the civil war and still building rail track. We should focus on the things that we can accomplish. We have a lot – there is the waterfront here, we have minerals here, we have arable land, we must conquer hunger, we cannot allow hunger conquer us.

“My campaign is built on the firm conviction that our greatest good and best deeds still lie in front of us and not in our past.

“The industrialisation of our economy represents a most vital step towards achieving the Nigeria of our dreams.

“From its very beginnings, our nation’s economy was established on an incomplete foundation. It was built to rely too heavily on oil exports. This means we have always experienced a large gap in the national economic structure.

“Greater industrialisation shall fill this gap through the production of more and better goods which improve our standard of living while creating better jobs, providing workers with a living wage and establishing businesses that will drive this economy for generations to come.

“Because of this gap in our economic structure and the resultant lack of economic activity, Nigeria has experienced unacceptably high rates of unemployment for several decades.

“The problems this causes for our society are not limited to simply slowing our economic progress. This gap has affected our nation in profound ways, straining the social fabric in ways that no nation wishes for. Now is the time to repair these fissures our country should never have had to experience.

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“Our industrial policy will prioritise strategic industries vital to the development of our national economy. We will grow the nation’s industrial base to provide decent jobs and improving wages to our nation’s ever increasing urban population,” Tinubu stated.

Speaking on how his administration would achieve this if elected as president, Tinubu said primary and secondary industrial hubs would be created across each geopolitical zone in the country.

The two-term former governor of Lagos State equally promised to bring Cross River into the industrialisation plan through the state’s resources.

“Our industrial plan encourages manufacturing on a massive scale across the country. Nigeria will become known as a nation that produces high quality goods worthy of export to anywhere in the world.

“We shall use an array of policy measures. On the fiscal side, we shall employ tax credits and holidays, youth employment incentives, import relief, export credits and well-tailored subsidies where necessary.

“Cross River State will play a leading role in our economic uplift. This state is blessed with limestone, clay, salt, tin, granite, basalt, quartzite, and kaolin deposits in commercial quantities.

“Our policies will afford local artisans and craftsmen throughout the region the necessary tools to provide for their families and, ultimately, boost overall economic activity for the national good. I enjoyed the stimulating cultural entertainment the performers displayed. This is a townhall meeting of great minds, brains and visions.

“My concern is the development of Nigeria, this is a talented nation and moving this country forward is a task that must be done. Let’s put together and conquer hunger by using the God’s great space on agriculture,” Tinubu added.

He, however, hailed Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, for already starting the industrialisation drive in the state, saying: “The Ayade-led administration has done tremendous work to develop the processing capacity within the state with the construction of the Ogoja Rice Mill, Ikom Cocoa Mill, Rice Seed and seedling centre.

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“The governor has also gone further to develop the infrastructure for the movement of goods by land with the proposed Super-Highway, by sea with the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport, and by air with the construction of the Obudu Cargo Airport.”

On his part, Governor Ayade said the focus of the next administration should be on human beings first and Gross Domestic Product, stressing that a measure of economic growth should shift to Human Happiness Index.

He added that the government must focus on industrialisation to create jobs for the masses.

“We must move from GDP to the Human Happiness Index. When God has empowered you, it is for the people,” Ayade said.

Others at the event were the APC’s vice-presidential candidate, Sen. Kashim Shettima; and the Director-General of the party’s presidential campaign council and governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong; amongst others.

The Star