President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared on Sunday that with the hitherto abandoned Ajaokuta Steel Complex in Kogi State now nearing completion, the project will have the capacity to employ 500,000 Nigerians once designated as a free trade zone.
The President further promised to fully harness the potentials of the Complex once it was completed, as it would boost Nigeria’s foreign direct investment (FDI) and provide avenue for the creation of the much-needed conducive business environment for all sectors to thrive.
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Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented the President Tinubu, made this known at the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign in Lokoja, the State capital on Sunday.
The governorship poll in the state is slated for November 11.
Addressing a mammoth crowd in Lokoja, VP Shettima, in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, also noted that Tinubu remained committed to completing the constructions of the River Niger, the Kabba-Lokoja and the Abuja-Lokoja roads.
President Tinubu, VP Shettima stated, is a man of plenty ideas, who is determined to reposition the nation in its rightful place, especially as it borders on restructuring and stimulating the Nigerian economy.
“Given Mr President’s commitment to the development of Kogi State and indeed the entirety of Nigeria, Kogi in particular being a confluence state, cannot afford to have a governor who is hostile to the center. We must be partners in progress and work hand in hand to develop this great nation,” the Vice President stated.
He further hinted about plans by the Tinubu administration to make the Itakpe crop processing project a dream come true, just as he promised jobs and affordable education under the present government.
Reemphasising that the welfare of the citizenry would never be willfully compromised, VP Shettima called on Kogi citizens to come out en masse on November 11 to vote for the governorship candidate of the APC, Ahmed Usman Ododo, in order to consolidate on the achievements of the APC government in the state.
He added that the natural endowments of Kogi State would be harnessed for the development of the state and the nation at large, adding that President Tinubu had further given his nod for the rehabilitation of Obajana-Okene road.
Speaking earlier, Kogi State governor, Alh. Yahaya Bello, thanked President Tinubu for accepting to flag off the governorship campaign in his state, disclosing that his administration has achieved a lot, and it was time for consolidation in order to move the state forward.
“We have done a lot in the area of security, education and health, among others. We want to consolidate on that. I am, therefore, calling on the people of our dear state to vote for our candidate in order to move Kogi State forward,” he said.
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