Agbakoba, others promise new Nigeria as Peoples Trust starts campaign

The National Chairman of the Peoples Trust, Olisa Agbakoba
(SAN); the party’s presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim,
and other leaders of the party on Saturday promised to restore
Nigeria’s lost glory.

They spoke at the commencement of the party’s presidential
campaign in Abuja.

The event, which was held at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja also
featured the presentation of party flags to the candidates of the
party at all levels.

The party leaders promised to rescue the nation from “the
current state of hopelessness, insecurity and youth
unemployment.”

Agbakoba said progressive forces in the country had resolved to
work for Olawepo-Hashim’s success in the forthcoming presidential
election.

“We took a resolute decision to form this movement we are seeing
today. We have reunited under a broad platform called Third Force
and by God’s grace and power, we will win. Let us go together,” he
said.

He said the same way progressive forces fought the military to a
standstill, they had resolved to change the current order by
electing Olawepo-Hashim as President.

Olawepo-Hashim, in his address, decried the security challenges
currently facing the country.

He regretted that 11 out of 19 Northern states were experiencing
security challenges.

He said, “This is a turning point in the history of Nigeria. We
are at a point where we will exchange instability for security.

“We are at a point where we will dump poverty for prosperity, we
are at a point where we will stop the wave of violence and hatred
and build a truly united Nigeria; where the live of every Nigerian
will count.

“Today, 11 out of 19 states of Northern Nigeria have literarily
been overrun by bandits from across the border and violence caused
by agents of disunity and destruction.

“The southern states have literarily been overtaken by
kidnappers, robbers and all sorts of violence induced by the
present state of the economy of the country.

“At the bottom of these massive upheavals in the land is youth
unemployment, which has climbed to about 33 per cent to 36 per
cent. Now, we have more youths that are unemployed than youths that
are gainfully employed. The national unemployment average has also
climbed to 24 percent of the population.

“Our resolve is to build a new economy that will guarantee jobs
for our teeming youths, empower our women with the capital to take
their place in the society and not just in the other room.”

The presidential candidate promised to expand the nation’s
economy to a $4trn economy within 10 years.

He also promised to restructure the way power is organised
between the states and the Federal Government by devolving power to
the states as presently constituted so that they can mobilise more
local resources to address problems.

Olawepo-Hashim said his administration would empower states to
have their own police alongside with the federal police, so that
internal security could be enhanced.

He promised to create a national guard as an intermediate force
between the Army and the police so that internal security could be
rapidly restored.

He added, “We will build a Nigeria where every Nigerian will be
proud of his own passport because of our initiatives on foreign
policies.

“We will create an environment where more youths will have
access to education by increasing budgetary allocation to the
educational sector. We will make the necessary sociall investments
to take our people rapidly out of poverty.