“You cannot wish the country well and vote for someone you do not believe in,” according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
The Vice President stated this on Tuesday night in a rousing speech where he spoke of a new Nigeria of great possibilities and prosperity.
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Osinbajo spoke ahead of the voting by delegates at the ongoing All Progressives Congress (APC) Special Convention for its Presidential Primary holding at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
As he made his way to the podium, the crowd at the Convention ground, especially those close to the podium, gave the VP a rousing welcome that lasted for several minutes, with some chanting excitedly, “it is you we want (as president)!” The same scene repeated itself after the VP concluded his speech and made his way through the aisle back to his seat.
According to the Vice President, “Nigeria has the talents, resources and the resourcefulness to become one of the world’s leading economies.”
“Everything we can imagine or dream is within our reach. All that is left is for us to make the right decision tonight,” he stated.
The VP added, “to our dear delegates, when you vote tonight, know that your vote carries the answer to your prayers for our country and its future.
“I have been prepared in the most profound ways for the task ahead, and I will be ready from day one.”
Prof. Osinbajo is one of the leading Presidential aspirants of the APC. The ruling party will at the Convention elect its flagbearer for the 2023 presidential elections.
The VP spoke just before President Muhammadu Buhari delivered his speech.
“First, let me begin on a solemn note. I join you and the good people of Ondo State in mourning the victims, men, women and children, of the heinous and dastardly terrorist act that took place at the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, and other victims of terrorism across the country. And I pray that the Lord God Almighty will comfort their families, and that we will never see a repeat of these heinous acts in our nation again.”
“I’m deeply honoured to stand before you today and to share this platform with 22 other exceptional members of our great party who, today, vie for the preferment of the Presidential candidate of our great party, the APC.
“Like most of us here, I am a Nigerian. I was born here. My parents were born here. I went to primary, secondary school and university here. I have worked here all my life. This country has afforded me most of the education and opportunities and the world view that I have. I have seen and experienced the great prospects of Nigeria. I know that it is possible for us to have a world class educational system; it is possible to have world class healthcare system for all Nigerians.
“It is possible to establish a technology economy here in Nigeria; it is possible to establish a bitumen processing industry in Ondo, gold processing in Zamfara and Osun, and exploit and process the finest precious metals and stones in the world in Benue, in Plateau and most of the North central states. We can exploit oil and gas in the Niger Delta and South East and now even in Bauchi and Gombe States.
“It is possible to manufacture our vehicles in Nnewi. Already, Innoson Motors, they are doing great things there. We can open up steel plants in Kogi, establish Africa’s largest industrial city between Ogun and Lagos. We can establish the biggest gas and petrochemical plants in the world in the Niger Delta; we can sell fertilizer to Africa as we already have one of the largest plants in the world, the Dangote refinery. We can sell shoes to the world— already the Aba Shoe Cluster in Abia State sells over a million pairs of footwear every week to the rest of Africa.
“We can manufacture our weapons, ammunitions locally, DICON in Kaduna is already manufacturing munitions, and Proforce, a Nigerian company, is making armoured mobile platforms here in Nigeria. We can build drones, helicopters and planes. Our Air Force is already manufacturing air platforms. And God helping us, in two decades, we can become the first nation on earth to send a team of all black team of astronauts to the moon. We have the talent, the resources and the resourcefulness to be one of the world’s leading economies. We have the guts and the confidence to beat the world. We can run an open, honest and transparent government; we can ensure the rule of law, we can secure our nation from terrorism, we can provide good paying jobs for millions of young people.
“In this decade, we can lift 100 million people out of poverty, we can give all women equal education, equal opportunities, and we can establish a comprehensive social welfare programme for the poor and vulnerable. And fortunately, we are not starting from zero; we have already in this administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, we have begun the most ambitious infrastructure investment in the history of our country. We have revolutionized Agriculture.”
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