Details Of Tinubu’s Town Hall Meeting With Miners, Others Emerge

The details of the meeting between the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, miners, and agro-processors have emerged.

Naija News reports that the town hall meeting took place on Thursday at the Late Aliyu Akwe Doma Banquet Hall in Government House, Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.

Speaking at the event, Tinubu promised relevant stakeholders that his administration will invest in solid minerals and agro-processing sectors to boost the country’s economic growth.

The former Governor of Lagos State said the country has abundant, commercially viable solid mineral deposits such as coal, limestone, iron ore, bitumen, lead, zinc, gold, and a variety of gemstones.

He, however, said he would use Public-private partnership initiatives to boost the growth of the sectors for the benefit of Nigerians if elected President in 2023.

The APC candidate also promised miners and steel workers that he would complete the Ajaokuta Steel Company and make it fully operational again if elected as President.

He said: “In our campaign toward prosperity and our economic offensive against poverty and underdevelopment,” he said.

“The solid minerals sector contributed less than one percent to our GDP in 2020. We need to increase this amount every year. My administration will develop the solid minerals sector, establishing policies that will encourage investment for growth in that sector.

“My administration will ensure the full completion and operation of the Ajaokuta Steel Company under a viable public-private partnership structure.

“Few nations are as well-endowed as Nigeria, given our industrious, energetic population and our vast inventory of land, water, and natural resources. Our beloved nation has abundant, commercially viable solid mineral deposits such as coal, limestone, iron ore, bitumen, lead, zinc, gold, and a variety of gemstones.

“It is the obligation of government to use these gifts wisely to benefit the nation and improve the living standards of the average Nigerian.”

Tinubu stated that he would not engage in untruths and rumours promoted by opposition parties, but focus only on issue-based policy solutions.

He said, “We shall allow the desperate, devoid-of-substance campaigns of others to engage in divisive identity politics and the promotion of untruths and ugly rumors.

“We, the APC, shall continue to stand before the Nigerian people to discuss the real issues of the day and offer insight into the policy solutions we intend to deploy to solve them. In this, we remain the best and only hope for progressive good governance in Nigeria.”

In his address, the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, said that Tinubu’s engagement with the mining community would also afford the opportunity to know the economic potentials of the state in mining and agriculture.

“I thank Asiwaju Tinubu for visiting our state and our people have always wanted to see you ask you questions and you are here to answer their questions,” he said.

On his part, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, said the meeting was another worthy engagement between Tinubu and critical stakeholders in Nasarawa State after similar events in Kano, Lagos, and Niger states.