*Promises to bring succour to people of state
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar (rtd), has expressed concern over the poverty and Illiteracy rate in the state saying the alarming trend is unacceptable.
He has, therefore, vowed to deploy resources to tackle poverty in the state and reduce the out-of-school children.
According to him, a huge number of children are out of schools and said his government would prioritise education, youth empowerment and poverty alleviation when elected.
Speaking with newsmen on Tuesday about his plan for the people of the state, the former Chief of Air Staff, said he is in the race for the 2023 governorship election to bring succour to people of the state.
He promised to bring succour to all segments of the state whom he said feel alienated and disgruntled over the state of governance in the state.
He said, “As a retired Military officer, I receive my pension every month but I feel sad that this is not the case for many pensioners in the state. This is why I feel obliged to join the race in order to change the narrative in the area of welfare for the civil servants, the pensioners, in health and the education sector.”
According to him, crime rate has been on the increase and promised to improve the security of the state to make the environment safe and secure for investments to flow.
“When people feel secure, they would be able to pursue their legitimate businesses,” he said.
Abubakar however attributed insecurity in the state to failure of the government to engage the youths in productive ventures.
He said the government must consider the social, economic and political dimension of insecurity in order to tackle the challenge head-on.
Abubakar also promised to invest in the health sector to make healthcare delivery accessible to the people in all the nooks and crannies of the state.
“These are some of the things we want to change. There is no reason why you should not have access to drugs when you go to the hospitals,” he said.
The governorship candidate also promised to, if elected, drive the agriculture and solid minerals sectors in its bid to increase the internally generated revenue of the state and make more money available for the government.
Speaking on the fall-out of governorship primaries in the state, the APC candidate said reconciliatory talks are still ongoing to pacify the aggrieved aspirants in the state.
He said while some of the aspirants are still aggrieved, most of them had agreed to work with him to deliver the state for APC.
His words: “Politics is all about reconciling interests, it is all about concessions and dialogue. After the primaries, I visited my co-contestants. I went on my own to see them one on one to solicit for their support.
“Some of them have decided to leave the APC, we are still talking to them, we are working to bring them back.”
