Presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) on Tuesday gave reasons for dumping the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Party (APC), saying both political institutions derailed to move the country out of the current quagmire bedevilling it.
Kwakwanso said this at a programme put together by Prime Maritime Project, NNPP agenda for the maritime sector in Lagos .
The NNPP flag bearer said “Suffice it to say that NNPP, as a party, has its blueprint for the economy for which maritime and transport logistics are incorporated. You are all aware that I was a founding member of both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), the two parties that governed the country in the last 23 years.
“I decided to make the sacrifice of doing away with both parties because both of them have derailed from the original vision set forth for them. Both of them have failed woefully in putting Nigeria and Nigerians first.
“Both of them have brought untold economic hardship to Nigerians. Both of them have visited Nigerians with unacceptable level of insecurity ever imagined. And both of them have failed to provide qualitative and competent leadership that is direly needed to steer the ship of the Nigerian nation to unity and prosperity.
“If these failures are not there, if the expectations of Nigerians had been met, if the leaders are competent, patriotic and sincere, we would not have been here today.
“This is why I have decided to seek to be at the driving seat of this nation through the NNPP so that those expectations-a new Nigeria of our dream-can be realised.
“So really, for us, the choice in the 2023 general election is clear: A New and Better Nigeria that the NNPP is foist to put in place or the continuation of the status quo. We believe that Nigerians are tired of the status quo and are very eager to do away with both the APC and the PDP.
The former Kano State Governor, who was reacting to the numerous challenges faced by the maritime sector, reiterated that both political parties have failed the masses since 1999, adding that operators of the industry know where it pinches the most and certainly have their insider perspective on how best to revamp the sector.
He noted that “Your various roles in international shipping trade and transport logistics cannot be over emphasized. I am delighted to honour your invitation and to participate in this important conversation and to share with you some of my thoughts with regards to the Nigeria’s maritime industry. I am optimistic that being here today and listening to this cream of stakeholders of this all-important industry will help in no small way in our efforts to tackle the challenges of the sector immediately we are voted into office in 2023.
“My being here today is out of personal conviction that the maritime sector is a critical element to the growth, survival and prosperity of Nigeria. Again, anybody who forgets his root will never go far in life. The maritime industry gave birth to our great party, the NNPP; as such I cannot disregard any invitation for whatever reason, coming from the sector.
“So, my being here is largely to listen, appreciate and understand the expectations of maritime operators from me and our party should we eventually emerge winners of the 2023 general elections.
“Though I may not have been fully involved in maritime sector to understand its nitty-gritty but my experience over the years as a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, former Governor, former Minister of Defense and a former Senator has availed me with some basic understanding of the sector and especially some of its challenges.
“I have listened to this wonderful audience and have noted your expectations. I can tell you that I am aware of most of the challenges facing the sector presently. One of such, for instance is congestion on port access roads in Apapa.
“It may interest you to know that in one of my visits to Lagos sometimes ago, I was in Apapa and was stunned at the spectacle of articulated trucks lining the Ijora Bridge. To me, it was an unacceptable eyesore in a twenty-first century Nigeria. I was even made to understand that I came when things had improved. This is highly unacceptable!
“It goes to show that we rarely plan for the future. A port system originally designed for a population of less than 50 million people in the 1950s with less than 2.0 million cargo throughput has remained almost the same for more than 200 million population in 2022. When a country’s population is increasing at geometric progression and port infrastructure remains static, the resultant effect is chaos. To me, that is the cause of the Ijora Bridge debacle and other issues.
“So many things have gone wrong with the industry. I can still remember the days of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) with its beautiful ships flying Nigeria’s flag across the globe! Why did it die? Why do we not have a replacement as the giant of Africa? What has become of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF)? Why has it not been disbursed to beneficiaries? From my little knowledge of the sector, a lot of questions are begging for answers!
“It is also my desire to see that the Customs and other regulatory agencies must be made to perform efficiently and effectively. The observed high level corruption in the system has to be tackled to improve the productivity in the ports.”
