The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for Nasarawa State, Mr Ahmed Wadada, on Thursday, defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying only “an enemy” of Nigeria would dismiss what he called the administration’s growing economic gains.
Speaking with State House Correspondents after meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Wadada said he was at the Villa to discuss how to contribute to the growth and development of the country in line with the President’s vision.
“My mission to the Villa as always is to see how best we will all contribute our quota to the growth and development of Nigeria which is the utmost objective of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
The Nasarawa governorship election is around the corner and Wadada is confident in his grassroots support. He sees himself as “not a flyover politician”.
“I’m not a flyover politician. My people have been with me. I’m on the ground. “I know their problems and I know their aspirations, their wishes and I have, over the years, lived up to their wishes and aspirations,” he said.
The APC candidate said key economic indices have improved under Tinubu’s administration, citing the rise in Nigeria’s foreign reserves, improvements in the balance of payments and trade, the stability of the exchange rate and growth in the capital market.
“If we have to and should tell the truth, let us see all the indicators. He said, “All the signs of economic growth and development of the system are looking glaringly promising and bright than what they were.
He said the present administration had almost doubled the country’s foreign reserves.
“When he came in, it was below $30 billion; it was between $28 and $29 billion. Today we are talking about $56 billion to $57 billion in our foreign reserves.”
He also attributed the foreign exchange reforms of the administration to the stabilisation of the naira.
“All the windows have been closed, they have been unified, which has helped a lot today in the stability of the naira against the dollar.”
Acknowledging that challenges remained, Wadada insisted the Tinubu administration had made measurable progress.
“There are glaring improvements, development and growth in every sector but that is not to say all is well. “There is much more to be done.
But he did attack critics of the administration.
“To wish that this administration would go away is to be either ignorant, not realistic or an open enemy. Because opposition doesn’t mean being an enemy.”
Speaking on his governorship ambition, Wadada unveiled what he called the HEARTS Agenda, a development blueprint he said would build on the achievements of Governor Abdullahi Sule’s administration.
Nasarawa State is a gold mine. “I have a plan. It’s called the Wadada HEARTS Agenda.”
He said the H in the acronym stood for Human Capital Development, with education and health care the top priorities.
‘Education and Health are the two main ingredients and we shall face them squarely.
The E,” he said, “stands for Energy and Mineral Resources,” adding that the Electricity Act has opened new avenues for the states to generate power independently.
“With the passing of the Electricity Act and the assent given by the President to it, it opened-up the corridors of power generation by each state. Every state has one resource or the other which can be used to generate energy.”
Nasarawa was the hub of mineral resources in Nigeria, he said, citing recent investments in lithium processing.
“When you talk of mineral resources, you are talking of Nasarawa State. “All the first and second lithium processing plants in Nigeria are located in Nasarawa State.
According to him, his administration would continue the work started by Governor Abdullahi Sule.
“We will continue from where Engineer Abdullahi Sule’s administration stopped.
“The A in HEARTS stands for Agriculture and Green Economy, and we have plans to establish three agricultural hubs across the state’s senatorial districts based on their comparative advantages,” Wadada said.
“We are planning to establish three agricultural hubs in the state. “We will have a hub for each senatorial district based on its competitive agricultural advantage.”
The remaining pillars of the agenda, he said, were Rural and Urban Development, Trade and Investment and Security.
He also identified Nasarawa’s strategic location next to the Federal Capital Territory as one of the state’s greatest economic assets.
“From the perspective of the FCT, there is no way you can wish away Nasarawa State.
“The achievements of Sule administration have raised the bar of expectations for whoever succeeds him”, Wadada said.
“The present administration in Nasarawa State has raised the bar and widened and deepened the scope of what Nasarawa State is. There can’t be any more mediocrity after A.A. Sule.
“Anyone doing that will be doing it at his own peril because Nasarawa State is now much more heard, much more seen and much more respected. With all due respect and humility, so much is expected of me, and by the grace of God, we shall deliver.”
