Why Nigerians Should Vote Buhari, Not Atiku In 2019 ― FG

Members of the executive council have tasked Nigerians to a critical comparison of the three years of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government and 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that the President Muhammadu Buhari government was ready for an issues-based debate with the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the run-up to the 2019 general election.

Ministers of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lai Mohammed; Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu; Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, threw this challenge at Oyo state leg of the federal government’s town hall meeting series, held in Ibadan, on Thursday.

In their various presentations on the administration’s strides in power, railways, roads, industries, transportation, water, the ministers avowed that the President Buhari administration had proven to be better manager of the nation’s resources, compared to the PDP government which sought a return to power.

In his presentation, Amaechi lampooned the PDP government for feeding on the nation’s resources, corruption, with virtually no remarkable social and infrastructural development.

He said the lack of success by the PDP government for 16 years of being in government was evident in the fact that the current administration was currently fixing roads, rail, among other infrastructure, that should have been fixed long ago.

According to Amaechi, the PDP thrived on seeing government as a “feeding bottle”, and had, in three years, become hungry and desperate, hence was keen to return to government to continue embezzling the nation’s treasury.

He said Nigerians desirous of a progressive nation should vote Buhari for a second term.

“We are ready for the candidate of the PDP. Don’t forget that I served in the PDP government so I can compare what they did in 16 years with what we have done in three years. If they fixed the roads, we won’t be fixing those roads now.

“They say we should not talk about corruption but about the issues. What are the issues? If the money used in building Dubai was embezzled, will they have built Dubai? The reason we have been building rail, roads is because we have not been stealing money. Our pockets are empty.

“We are ready for debate. Each person will show what he did with the money he or she got. We will compare what they did in three years with what we did in three years so that the comparison is balanced.

“If you vote the PDP government, you will hand over to people who for three years, will satisfy their stomachs to the fullest. They are hungry and desperate because they see government as feeding bottle. You will give them back the feeding bottle if you don’t go out and use your Permanent Voters Card to vote to keep us in power.

“If you sleep and they use the remaining money they corruptly get and use it to buy votes and vote us out, then it is over for us in the country. For me and you, we owe not Buhari, but Nigeria, a movement to progress,” Amaechi said.

Drawing a comparison of funds devoted to infrastructure by the PDP and APC government, Fashola called for introspection, adding that Nigerians had to choose between going backward and moving forward.

As against N25.2billion that was budgeted for Power, Works and Housing in the 2015 budget put forward by the former PDP government, he said the current government committed N529 billion to the sector in 2017 and proposed N543 billion for 2018.

In power, he said Nigerians should consider voting Buhari because generation had increased from 4,000 to over 7,000 megawatts; transmission from 5,000 to 7,000 megawatts and distribution from 2,690 to 5,222 megawatts, between 2015 and 2018.

Fashola listed 68 road projects awarded for the South West geopolitical region, adding that the region was in good stead to produce the next President if the region supported Buhari to emerge for a second term in office.

“You have to choose between moving forward and going backward. You have voted for two different parties within the same democratic government. One was there for sixteen years and one has been there for three and a half years.

“Nigerians, especially people of the South West, have to think deeply. I can say that after the Buhari government, South West will produce the next President, so you should stick with Buhari.

“In 2015, the budget that was left behind in my ministry was N19 billion. The budget for Power was N5billion and the budget for Housing was N1.2billion making a total of N25.2 billion for three ministries. The budget for the three ministries I manage is a total of N529 billion in 2017.

“When you want to vote next year, you must ask who is more serious than the other. You can chose choose to a budget of N25.2 billion or move forward because the budget for 2018 is N543 billion. We are constructing pilot houses in 24 states with five to be done in the South West.

“The President has approved that over N400 billion be given to states for federal roads that was done, in the previous administration. Currently, there is no state in Nigeria that we are not building at least one road. From Lagos to Ibadan, Benin to Ore, people no more sleep on the road, like they used to do before, this is because we are fixing roads. Also, 61 contractors employed for housing projects in Housing.

“In choosing you should decide whether to choose a government that did more with less or the one who did less with more. Buhari administration has done more with less. You remember that N2.2 billion was stolen by someone in that administration rather than invest in infrastructure. When choosing next year, choose those who have been a better manager of your resources,” Fashola said.

Meanwhile, President Buhari will on November 8, declare a state of emergency on water sector and sanitation.

According to Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, the current administration met a water sector in disarray with most of the 116 water irrigation hydro dam projects awarded by the previous administration abandoned.

He decried that no city in the country could boast of 100 percent water supply, calling on states to collaborate with the federal government by providing their water supply plans that will ensure improved pipe borne water supply to communities across the country.

Furthermore, he spoke about the plan of the federal government to end open defecation by 2025, through sensitization and collaboration with state governments.

On the Ikere Gorge Dam, he noted that the current administration was entering a Public Private Partnership arrangement towards improving the production capacity of the dam.

In his own comments, Lai Mohammed warned Nigerians against ethno-religious attachment to the herdsmen/farmers’ clashes, noting that the issue was purely demographic conflicts.

He avowed that measures by the federal government to stem the clashes was yielding results with few reported clashes in recent times.

Host governor, Abiola Ajimobi had in his opening remarks, avowed that the Buhari led government had embarked on more meaningful and people-oriented projects than the PDP government since 1999.

The event had Nigerians from all walks of life in attendance to include, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr. Hassan Bello; Senator Fatai Buhari, representing Oyo North; Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji represented by the Agbaakin Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oloye Lekan Alabi; Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Francis Olusola the Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adegbola; Director General, DAWN Commission, Mr Seye Oyeleye; and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo state, Mr Adebayo Adelabu.