Ebun Francis|
The presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday said he started out in life selling firewood in the streets of Jada, Adamawa state.
Atiku who made the revelation while launching his presidential campaign via a broadcast on Facebook, stated that his primary focus is getting Nigeria to work again.
“I started out as an orphan selling firewood on the streets of Jada in Adamawa, but God, through the Nigerian state, invested in me and here I am today. If Nigeria worked for me, I owe it as my duty to make sure that Nigeria also works for you.”
“The most important question in this election is: Are you better off than you were four years ago? Are we richer or poorer?” he asked.
“I am not making grandiose promises. Rather than promises, I believe in policies.
“A promise is an indication to do a future action. A policy is a plan to achieve future goal. As the International Monetary Fund stated very recently, it is the failure of this government to have a coherent and comprehensive set of policies combined with poor leadership that has led to its failure to deliver.
“Over the last 18 months, I have worked with the best experts Nigeria has to offer to come up with policies and plans that when implemented will get Nigeria going in the right direction again.”
The opposition PDP’s flagbearer pledged that he will be proactive in attracting investment and supporting the small and medium scale enterprises across Nigeria for the purpose of doubling the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025.