By AbdulRaheem Aodu
Kaduna
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party would, for the next four years, focus on improving power, reviving the textile industry to create jobs, building Nigerians through education and boosting the economy to match the Asian Tigers, if re-elected for another four years, President Goodluck Jonathan has said.
Addressing a mammoth crowd of PDP faithful, party supporters and citizens of Kaduna state during the Presidential rally at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium Kaduna at the weekend, Jonathan who was accompanied by other PDP bourgeois, said his government would shift focus for the next four years to address comatose industries, the flailing economy, increasing unemployment and boosting tertiary education especially in the north.
“They said some Asian countries are at par with Nigeria but today they have gone ahead, we need to work hard to meet up with them. We are working hard on education to train people that would power our development.
“In the next four years we would focus on tertiary education and textile industry, we must revive our textile industry, stable power is coming back now and with that we can revive the textile industry to create jobs and save foreign exchange. The textile sector will be centre of our activities in the next four years,” Jonathan said.
Vice President, Namadi Sambo, said Kaduna state and the North has benefited immensely from the Jonathan administration especially in the area of education, power sector, transport, health and agriculture.
“Mr. President has brought development across Nigeria especially the North, the 100mw power plant at Zungeru, Niger state, Mambilla hydropower to be built at the cost of $6 billion (over N1.2 trillion) which is the largest dam in West Africa, it is ongoing now. Construction of the Zungeru hydropower plant at $1.5 billion (about N100 billion), the Kalambina power plant in Adamawa state, the Kila Dam, the Gurara hydro plant IN Kaduna and the wind power plant in Katsina state.
“We are determined to bring back moribund industries by the construction of 215mw power dam that would soon be commissioned, the standard gauge rail line between Abuja and Kaduna is completed and would soon be commissioned.”
Kaduna state Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Yero in his remarks said that “power belongs to God and He gives it to whoever He so want when He wants without consultation. Yero, who prayed for a peace and unity, said the federal government had built 15 injection power sub stations in Kaduna state with 10 of them commissioned.
“Kaduna state has benefited from the federal government, the Galma Dam with irrigation facilities and hydro power plant with water to Zaria Dam for Zaria regional water programme. Take away sentiments and look at issues and realities, we have no choice than to vote for Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 election.”
Former governor of Kaduna state, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, said they would rise up and go to all nooks and corners of the state to use all persuasive power to solicit for votes from the people of Kaduna state. “I can assure you that we will not sleep until we deliver Kaduna state to our great party.”
