Nigerian voters have been requested to ensure a new dawn that will usher a better Nigeria by voting for Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party as the next president of the country.
Making the request at the continuation of the South East Zone Advocacy and Stakeholders meeting on “Voting Right” by the Atiku Immutable Mandate group in Awka, the Anambra State capital, AIM Group’s South-East Zonal Leader, Mazi Omife I. Omife, noted that the main objective of the meeting is to further enlighten voters on the need to vote for Abubakar and how best to thumb print the ballot paper to ensure that their votes really count.
Omife restated his stance that the present Buhari Government has made Nigeria the poverty capital of the world.
He disclosed that “studies have shown that Nigerians are worse off today than they were four years ago” and that “Nigeria’s GDP per capita has contracted every year since 2015 when it peaked at $2, 693 per head. In 2016, it fell to $2, 171 and $1, 828 in 2017”. Quoting the Brookings Institution, he regretted that “about 8,000 citizens are falling into extreme poverty on a daily basis”.
Alluding to data from the World Bank and Renaissance Capital, Omife noted: “With 87 million Nigerians living below the $1.90 poverty baseline, almost one out every two nationals (44 percent) lives in extreme poverty. Incidentally, India, which is second in the poverty scale, has 57 million people that are extremely poor, representing just 4.4 per cent of its 1.3 billion population.
“Access to capital by entrepreneurs remains a problem as only 23 per cent of businesses can get needed financing.”
He said this has left the nation’s economy in dire strait.
He therefore urged Nigerians to ensure the election of Abubakar as the next president of Nigeria in order to turn around the present deplorable situation that has occasioned a very precarious socio-economic situation in the country.
Omife reiterated the 10 reasons advanced by Abubakar why Nigerians should vote for him.
The first is that Abubakar will build and empower the youth.
The second is that he will create jobs.
The third is that he will not discriminate.
The fourth is that he will respect the Rule of Law.
The fifth is that Nigerians should vote Abubakar so he will revamp education at basic and higher levels.
The sixth is that Abubakar will lift 50 million people out of extreme poverty.
The seventh is that he will rapidly develop infrastructure.
The eight is that he will ensure resource control.
The ninth is that Abubakar will make power work and the 10th is because he will protect Nigerians.