The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar yesterday lamented the increasing number of job loss and insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) have failed Nigerians and they must go.
The National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS) had sometimes in December, 2018 hinted that unemployment rate had risen to 23.1 percent, which implies that, 20.1 million Nigerians are jobless.
The Waziri Adamawa, addressing party faithful at the PDP campaign rally in Minna, Niger state capital yesterday , lambasted President Muhammadu Buhari and APC for their failure to provide the three million jobs promised Nigerians during the 2015 campaign.
He said: “Let me remind those of you who perhaps were born in 1999 when PDP started governing Niger state, the road infrastructure that you have were constructed by PDP government. The schools that you have attended were built by PDP government. The hospitals that you are attending were built by PDP government.
“Then in 2015, they came to tell us that PDP did not do anything. We should change. And we changed. And they promised to fight corruption, to improve our economy and also to secure our country. Have they achieved anyone of these three? When they came in, there was insecurity only in North East. Today, there is insecurity in North West and North Central. And we have lost more lives at any other time in the history of this country in peaceful times. They have failed as far as security is concerned.
“When it comes to the issue of economy, we have lost more jobs, over 10 million jobs, to the extent that Nigeria has been declared the headquarters of poverty in the world. This is a record. Have they
fulfilled that promise? Now I want to promise you that if you vote PDP, we will restore the jobs that had been lost. You either get a job or get a business to do,” he added.
The former vice president explained that: “This is a promise and a commitment I am making on behalf of PDP, vote for PDP. I want to commit to you that if you vote for PDP, the insecurity which they have
not been able to control, we shall control it. They have been unable to control insecurity because they have been unable to provide jobs and businesses for the people. So, by the time we provide jobs and
businesses for our young men and women, you will hear less crime and less insecurity.
On his part, the Director General of PDP campaign organization, Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki said :”Election is about referendum. A government that has been with us for three and half years and promised us three things and we are going to decide as Nigerians. If they have performed, they can continue. If they have not performed, they must pack and go home”.
“They came on the wing of security. There was problem in the North-East and they said they can provide solution, today isn’t the security worse? There is no security in North Central and North-West.
There is security problem. Before, they said they will provide three million jobs for the youth. Today, more than 10 million youth have lost their jobs. Have they performed? No,” Saraki said .
