By Nudoiba Ojen
President Bola Tinubu has said that hitherto abandoned Ajaokuta Steel Complex in Kogi State, when completed, will have the capacity to employ 500,000 Nigerians.
Tinubu said that the steel complex, which is already nearing completion, would be designated as a free trade zone.
The President, represented by the Vice President, Kassim Shettima, spoke in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, at the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign in Lokoja, the State capital on Sunday.
The governorship poll in the state is slated for November 11.
The President, who said that government would fully harness the potentials of the Complex when completed, said that it would boost Nigeria’s foreign direct investment and provide avenue for creation of the much-needed conducive business environment for all sectors to thrive.
Tinubu reassured the crowd of commitment to completion of the constructions of the River Niger, the Kabba-Lokoja and the Abuja-Lokoja roads.
He also hinted about plans to make the Itakpe crop processing project a dream come true, just as he promised jobs and affordable education under the present government.
The President, who said the welfare of the citizenry would never be willfully compromised, urged Kogi citizens to come out en masse on November 11 to vote for APC governorship candidate, Ahmed Usman Ododo, in order to consolidate on the achievements of APC government in the state.
He added that the natural endowments of Kogi State would be harnessed to develop the state and Nigeria, adding that the administration had given nod for the rehabilitation of Obajana-Okene Road.
Speaking earlier, Kogi State Governor, Alh. Yahaya Bello, thanked President Tinubu for accepting to flag off the governorship campaign in his state.
Yahaya said, “We have done a lot in the area of security, education and health, among others. We want to consolidate on that. I am, therefore, calling on the people of our dear state to vote for our candidate in order to move Kogi State forward”.
APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, said because Governor Bello has provided good governance to the people of Kogi, the state cannot afford to be left behind by giving power to another party different from the one at the center.
Also, the chairman of APC Campaign Council for Kogi State, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, enjoined the people of Kogi State to clean up their voter cards and turn out in numbers to vote for the candidate of the APC in the forthcoming November 11 governorship election.
The Kogi State APC governorship candidate, Ahmed Ododo, who expressed commitment to the development agenda of Kogi State, said, “We will build on the legacies of my mentor, Governor Yahaya Bello. We will give attention to security, education, agriculture and health. Our women will also be empowered”.
