Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), has urged labour unions to support his presidential bid.
According to a statement by Tunde Rahman, his media aide,
Tinubu spoke on Monday during a townhall meeting with labour unions at Chida
Hotel conference centre in Abuja.
Tinubu was quoted as saying his antecedents as a former
governor of Lagos stands him out and makes him ahead of his competitors.
He listed unemployment, lack of credit system to allow workers own houses, poverty, challenges in educational sector, as well as weak industrial base of the economy, as what he would address if elected as the president.
“Today, the questions
you all must ask yourselves are these: who can be trusted to accomplish all of
this? The man who has done it before, or the man whose most lasting achievement
as vice-president is the corrupt sale of national assets to his friends and
cronies?” Tinubu asked.
“Who has the better plan? The man whose blueprint guided the
emergence of Lagos state as fifth largest economy in Africa or the man whose
greatest pride is the amount of money he managed to bury in sand while his
state’s infrastructure decayed and its workers suffered endless hardship?
“The choice is yours. But permit me to now talk a little
about myself and my vision.
“I have always been
and will continue to be a progressive democrat. In my worldview, government has
a cardinal responsibility to work not only with business, but also with labour
to ensure that all constituent parts of our society are afforded their fair
share of rewards without taking on undue hardship.”
Tinubu also spoke on his “personal history” in the fight for
good governance.
“As organised labour, you have been at the forefront of the
workers’ rights movement in Nigeria, championing economic fairness and the
welfare of the average person, the weak and the forgotten,” he said.
“You have also been involved in the struggle for democracy
and political rights. Your collective efforts breathe life into the democratic
rights and economic ideals enshrined in our constitution.
“I can speak fondly
of your impact on our nation because of my personal history on the frontlines
of the social justice movement.
“I may be running for president now, but I was not always in
this position. Long before I started running for the presidency, I was running
away from military dictators angered by my important role in protests against
them and their efforts to vanquish our democratic aspirations.
“The defining moment of my public life came during Nigeria’s
struggle for democracy and my membership in the National Democratic Coalition
(NADECO) movement.
“I have dedicated my entire being to that cause. I was
detained, then was forced into exile because of my refusal to accept anything
less than a government based on the proposition that the will of the people is
sovereign and should reign over armed might and imposition.
“I believe that those
assembled here today share the same ideals of progressive and democratic good
governance. I have spent my political life advocating for the rights and
interests of ordinary Nigerians as you also do. We have long been fellow
travellers on the same road. I hope that we shall continue as friends and
brothers.”
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