The Arewa community in Lagos State, on Monday, endorsed All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate, Sen. Kashim Ibrahim, for next month’s poll.
The Northern groups promised to mobilise Northerners in Lagos and network with their kith and kin across the country to vote for the ruling party.
Members of the Arewa Group under the aegis of Arewa Support Movement and ‘Arewa Community in APC’ converged on Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, for a rally attended by Tinubu and Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
The Northern groups were led by Alhaji Saadu Dandare, Chairman of Arewa Community in Lagos APC, and Kabiru Abdulahi, Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure.
Ganduje, who hailed the huge crowd for its solidarity, described Tinubu as adetriabalise Nigerian and a product of unity.
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After the rally, Tinubu stormed the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos for a special prayer organized by an Islamic Movement, Al-Jamahatul Quadiriyah Islamic Movement of Nigeria.
Also yesterday, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq said Tinubu is unstoppable, adding that the state will vote for him.
At the Onikan rally, Ahmed Tinubu promised to honour his campaign promises to Nigerians, to foster national integration and be fair to all ethnic groups constituting the heterogeneous country.
The APC candidate said under his leadership, Nigerians will live in peace, despite their ethnic and religious differences.
Tinubu said: “My respect for this country will continue to increase, and I will honour all my pledges that we all will live in harmony. We belong in each other’s hearts.”
He also assured that his government would be for all Nigerians, not favouring any religion or tribe.
Tinubu recalled that when he was governor of Lagos State, he appointed people into the State Executive Council from other regions of the country.
He said, “From the moment I enlisted in politics, I have always been nationalistic and detribalised in my approach. I do not operate on the basis of ethnicity, region or religion. I have friends and associates in all corners of this country.
“As governor of Lagos State, I constituted a cabinet, comprising competent people from all parts of Nigeria. We had the Yoruba, as we had the Igbo and Arewa. What was important to me was not your ethnicity or creed, it was your competence and the value you would bring to governance and people.
“To replicate this feat for the country is why I have offered myself for the presidency.”
On his plans for the country, most especially the North, Tinubu promised to tackle the security situation across the country, stressing that the economy cannot thrive in an insecure environment.
Tinubu added: “If elected president, my highest priorities shall be the protection of our land and prosperity of its people. I shall tackle this nation’s problems with a commitment to solving them.
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“I will give priority to confronting security, making the economy one of widely shared prosperity and paying special attention to agriculture like the present government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“On security, my policy is not an artificial one created to sound good for this campaign. Our security policy is based on dedicated study and long conversations with experts in this field.
“I used the same approach to tackle the bad security situation that faced me when I became governor of Lagos. I created programmes and institutions to solve the real and dangerous challenges Lagos faced. I shall increase security personnel and better equip them. Advanced air and ground surveillance technology will identify, track and attack the criminals until they are utterly defeated.”
Tinubu also promised to provide jobs for youths, while also ensuring that electricity generation is improved to allow more people to set up small businesses to feed their families.
He said great attention would be given to agriculture, to ensure that there is increased food security through enhanced productivity and improved farm incomes, thus returning farming to its prominent position.
The standard bearer also promised to invest in road and rail infrastructural development to ensure easy movement of goods and products while also strengthening the education sector to guarantee the future and guide the youth toward better lives.
Tinubu said, “We will invest in the Kolmani Oil Wells Project inaugurated by President Buhari and indeed, in all vital infrastructural projects such as the Mambilla Power Project, the AKK gas pipeline projects.
“We shall revive our inland waterways through the dredging of the River Niger and make sure we cut down on our steel import bill by making the Ajaokuta Steel Company work.”
