Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has promised to deal decisively with all elements threatening peace, security and unity of the nation.
He spoke on Monday in Kaduna at the interactive session for Presidential candidates organised by the Joint Northern Committee.
Besides security, he also said the economy, power, educarion industrialisation would be given top priority.
According to him, the welfare and training needs of security personnel would be addressed and strengthen, while security institutions would be provided with modern technology and equipment to better position them to respond to modern challenges facing a fast-changing world.
He said, “Under my leadership, the Nigerian military will receive a much needed injection of trained personnel to strengthen the heroic efforts of the troops that are currently in service.
“We will deal decisively with all elements threatening our peace, security and unity.
“I guarantee you we will end kidnapping and banditry not only through increasing our policing footprint and capacity but also through other soft approaches that would promote inclusion and boost the economy of our local communities.
“I assure you, under my leadership, every inch of our national territory will be secured and defended”, Tinubu said.
He noted that safety of our people, there has been an increasing call for states to be allowed to establish their own police forces, stating however, that “the issue of State Police, just like the larger debate around restructuring, is a constitutional matter that requires consensus-building.”
He said though restructuring means means different things to different people, “but it should be noted that my aspiration to lead this country is a testimonial for my strong belief in its unity and indivisibility.”
These, according to him, are matters that require consultation with critical stakeholders which include the Council of State, the Legislature, the Judiciary, State Governments, Traditional institutions and groups.
“We will sustain ongoing efforts of increasing the boots on ground commensurate to our geography and population”, he said.
He also unveil his blueprint for growing the economy, saying he will explore the abundant natural resources to boost it.
According to him, “Nigeria is sitting on a gold mine with abundant natural resources. With strategic investment in research and development and effective management, we will explore and exploit these resources to the fullest.
“There is no Local Government in Nigeria that has no resource or endowment that can be harnessed for greater economic development.
“Our major economic challenges are underinvestment and effective management, and these are what I am bringing to the table.
“Our economic plan would utilize the vast natural resources we have, through strategic investment in infrastructure which will lead to the diversification of the economy and wealth creation across the entire country.
“We will pay attention to modern economic drivers such as the digital economy, creative industries, sports and entertainment sectors for the benefit of our young people.”
He said under his leadership, the Nigerian government will be business-friendly.
“We shall support private businesses in our country and attract foreign direct investment to create jobs, re-industrialise our country and accelerate economic development.”
He promised to build a strong domestic economy and expand the capacity of the domestic market to support growth and encourage export capacity in the areas of our competitive advantage.
On the problematic power sector, Tinubu promised to prioritize the strengthening of the existing power reforms as a catalyst to sustainable industrialization.
He said, beside, ongoing power intervention from the federal government, “I know that the 19 Northern States and the FCT have incorporated a special purpose vehicle to build 100MW of Solar project per state to complement other power generation systems across the country.”
According to him, “”These are the kind of initiatives I will encourage and support to revamp industrialization.
“We will accelerate the completion of the Mambilla hydro power project, explore and construct other sources of power in line with global best practices
