The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar has pledged to build the rail line across Lagos, Calabar and Porthacourt if elected president.
Atiku who was in Calabar for his campaign tour of the state also said that his government will ensure security and peace, and will also create employment for youths and women.
He said, “Before I join politics, I was into maritime business, one of the ports in Cross River that we came to open here and start business and that was why when I was the Vice president and the issue of the development of Calabar Port came up I gave my total support, so that the Calabar Deep Port can be constructed for the benefit of the People of the state, South South and Nigeria as a whole.
“I have factories in Adamawa, if the port in Cross River is functioning I will not take my container to Lagos port, because it is shorter for me to take my containers from here to Yola.
“What I am trying to say is that when we open up the Calabar Port, the Eastern flank of Nigeria will be served by the port and that is very massive business and employment opportunities for the people of the region. One thing you must understand is that the moment the Calabar port is functional it will be an attraction to factories and businesses and it will be to the benefit of Cross River state.
“Again, your agricultural potentials are going to be multiplied, so it is going to be a golden opportunity for the people of the state and I promise you, if you vote for the PDP for the president and the Governor we will work together with your legislators to make sure that we implement the policies that have been grounded by the APC, since APC came, that project is dead, you must have heard those that have stolen the money for that project, don’t worry we will get there.
“Let me also assure you that your agricultural exploits will be to your benefit, there is the issue of infrastructural development, the road network linking you with neighboring states and the proposed railway from Lagos through Calabar to Port Harcourt. I promised you this would also be done.
“Another very inspiring policy of ours is the policy of restructuring of the country, by restructuring we mean, reducing the powers and resources of the Federal government and giving them to the states and local governments. So that you will hold your leaders responsible for your development and progress, this will make the Federal Government less powerful, the powers and resources will be deployed to the states for your benefit.
“This is a major policy of PDP and my policy, there are five important policies that I have identified for this country, unity of our country, security of our country, economy of our country, education of our young men and women. Another very good attraction for our young men and women is the allocation of 10 billion US dollars for small and medium scale businesses.”
Also the chairman of the Campiagn committee Udom Emmanuel said, “With what we are seeing today, you have shown that you are courageous, you are tenacious, it shows the bravery, of our people, I say God bless you. I want to assure you that we are known to be very loyal set of people.
“Every country, everywhere you go to, there is a section of the country, that has a colour, our colour is loyalty, our colour is PDP, our colour is capacity, our colour is human development, our colour is delivering prosperity, development and then poverty alleviation. All those industries in Cross River, employment is not there for our youths, I want to assure you that under Atiku’s government we will get that support. I want to assure you that infrastructure in terms of road network under Atiku Abubakar will be very well developed.”
Similarly, the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu asked the people to ensure that they vote massively for the party even as he called on the party members who had defected to rescind their action and return to the party.
Recalled that the state governor, Ben Ayade few years ago left PDP for APC with a number of his supporters along with him.
‘You have voted for some of our great sons and daughters in the PDP, unfortunately, some of them have disappointed you. But wherever they are going, they will come back home because the people of Cross River state will not go with them.
“I want to beg of you that on the 25th of this month, vote for one Nigerian that will unify this country, who will wipe your tears, who will make sure that the economy of Nigeria comes back to be the first and best economy in the continent.”
