ALL Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu has slammed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for failing, allegedly, to develop the oil and resource rich Delta State despite being in power in the state since 1999.
Tinubu, who spoke at the official flag-off of the APC campaign in Warri on Saturday, accused the opposition party of “abandoning infrastructural development in the state and leaving it in decay and penury.”
He noted that the state is among Nigeria’s largest oil and gas producing states, whose oil and gas resources have historically been the backbone of Federal government revenue and foreign exchange earnings in the country.
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He added that the state and other oil producers had made financial contributions to the building of modern Nigeria, and the nation is thankful to residents of the state.
Tinubu said, “Delta has all it takes to be great and help lead the nation forward. Yet, for the past 23 years, those governing your state have taken you for a hard and long ride by selling you short. They have not done the things they should have and could have done for you.
“The infrastructure in the state was better 30 years ago than it is now. The state has recorded historic debts run up by the incumbent, yet the infrastructure and other things still remain lacking because of under-investment and neglect.
“The money is much, but it does not have legs. Where did it go? Not to your welfare. Perhaps, it has found a home with a certain presidential candidate who loves Dubai more than Nigeria.”
The former Lagos State governor took a jab at the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, saying the people of Delta State should not allow any politician to turn the state to turn it into “an ATM for migratory politicians.”
He described Delta State as a place where good and hardworking people reside and work to create decent and peaceful lives for themselves and their families.
He promised to re-activate the gas revolution industrial park in the state, while cleaning up the whole Niger-Delta region to ensure that the host communities do not suffer for building the nation’s economy through their oil.
He saw gas as becoming a national priority as he envisioned fertiliser and petrochemical plants, aluminium smelters and methanol plants creating jobs for the unemployed, while producing goods that bolster farming, construction and other industries, both in the state and the country.
Tinubu said he would develop the infrastructure in the state, including the deep sea port project and the Omadino-Escravos Road project.
He stated that he would rehabilitate Warri, Koko, Sapele and Burutu ports to create more jobs in the state.
He also promised to make the state safe for all, noting that no business can thrive in an unsafe environment.
Tinubu said he would deploy new technologies to protect the safety and security of law-abiding Deltans and the critical national infrastructure in the state.
He added that he would also introduce greater funding and reform policies to bring the Nigerian police closer to the communities they serve.
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