Atiku Abubakar, told the South
East business community that President Muhammadu Buhari must be voted
out of the office to enable the business to grow in the region and the
country at large. He said this while speaking while addressing a crowded town hall meeting in Aba, the
Abia state commercial city on Wednesday.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, observed
that the president does not have the capacity and the will to tackle
the numerous challenges facing southeast business including the issue of
non-functional ports.
Atiku with traders in Aba, Abia state
According to The Tribune, Atiku who chanted “Buhari must go” to the
audience, added that as a businessman himself, he feels their pain.
He said: “Of course we know that we have to make the ports work
better and more efficient but nobody in this government understands the
functions of the ports. Nobody! Whether it is a dry port, whether it is
a wet port, whatever port it is, nobody in this government understands
the workings of the ports.
“Tell me, how are they going to solve the problems for you? You have no business voting for APC, I beg you.”
The former Vice President told his audience that no interaction
with the business community is complete without meeting the
southeasterners who he observed are dominant in business around the
country.
He said: “I am delighted to come and interact with the business
community because everywhere you go, it is the southeasterners. So,
naturally, if we want to know the pulse of the business community, you
have to come here (Aba).”
Having listened to catalogue of complaints about the business
environment in the region, Atiku promised to do whatever is within the
law to remedy the situation if elected as president.
He stated: “I will do whatever I can to promote business as
long as it is within the confines of our laws, not because I am a
businessman but I want to see the prosperity of the people and the
prosperity of our country.”
Atiku noted all that he had been told by the business community about the difficulty they faced is factual. “We
must listen to you because all that you said is true and factual. The
challenges you have enumerated for me are quite evident.
“I know and I feel your pains because am also one of you. But we have to work together to remove those challenges, those pains.”
Atiku recalled that it was PDP administration that established dry ports in the country, wondering: “So,
why would we not want them to function properly. If you want them to
work, you’d better return PDP power. This government doesn’t have the
capacity, the will to do it.”
He also said that previous PDP government set up the Ease of Doing
Business but that “this government has completely destroyed it.”
He therefore, assured that if elected, his administration would
simplify things for business, promising to make registration of business
possible from one’s own computer.
“We have two great businessmen in myself and Peter Obi (his
running mate). Nigeria has not had this since independence. The only
government that has tried to solve a business problem is PDP,” he stated.