…..NDC Presidential Candidate Promises 10,000MW Electricity, Free Basic Education
By Julius Agadaga, Yenagoa
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has pledged to develop the proposed Agge Deep Seaport in Bayelsa State and rehabilitate major ports across the South-South geopolitical zone as part of his agenda to stimulate economic growth, boost trade and create employment opportunities.
Obi made the promise in Yenagoa during the homecoming ceremony of the NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, which also featured the commissioning of the party’s state secretariat.
The former Anambra State governor said the NDC was determined to address Nigeria’s economic and developmental challenges through strategic investments in critical infrastructure, electricity, education, healthcare and industrial development.
He identified the rehabilitation and revitalisation of the ports in Warri, Port Harcourt and Calabar, alongside the construction of the Agge Deep Seaport in Bayelsa, as key priorities for the South-South region.
“In the South-South, we will rebuild and make functional all the ports in the South-South, starting from Warri, Port Harcourt, Calabar, and we will construct the port in Bayelsa,” Obi declared.
He said his visit to Bayelsa, alongside the party’s national leader, was aimed at engaging the people and presenting practical solutions to the challenges confronting the state and the country.
Obi further promised that an NDC-led Federal Government would prioritise national security, tackle corruption, support businesses and industries, create employment opportunities for young Nigerians and ensure that public resources were deployed for the benefit of citizens.
“Let me assure you, NDC will build Nigeria. We will secure the country. Under my government, if anybody kidnaps school children into the bush, we will go into the bush with them.
“Under NDC, we will account for our money. We will fight corruption to a standstill and ensure that public money is used for public good,” he said.
On electricity, the presidential hopeful pledged that his administration would work towards generating, transmitting and distributing at least 10,000 megawatts of power to support businesses, industries and households.
He also promised to work with state governments to make primary and secondary education free, while increasing investments in healthcare and other essential services.
“Under NDC, your children will go to school. We will work with state governments to ensure that basic education, primary and secondary, is free. We will produce, transmit and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts of electricity,” he added.
Earlier, Dickson, while welcoming party supporters and members, launched a scathing criticism of the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the ruling party of failing to deliver meaningful development to Bayelsa State and the wider Niger Delta region.
The former Bayelsa State governor said the region’s enormous natural resources had not translated into the level of infrastructure and economic opportunities expected by its people.
He described the NDC as a credible alternative for national renewal and expressed confidence that Obi would win Bayelsa State in the 2027 presidential election.
Dickson urged Bayelsans to support and vote for all candidates of the NDC, insisting that the party was better positioned to address the developmental challenges confronting the state.
He also expressed regret over what he described as the political surrender of the electoral victory secured by his political family to the APC, saying the development had left those who worked for the victory in opposition within a government they helped to form.
Dickson said the decision remained a painful political experience, considering the sacrifices and personal costs involved in securing the victory.
“This is why I have always been against the decision to surrender our state, our hard-won victory, particularly with all my sacrifices and pains at great cost, both personal and political.
“Our victory was donated free of charge to the APC, making all of us overnight opposition members in our own state, in a government we formed, in a governorship I crafted,” he said.
He maintained that the political experience reinforced the need for Bayelsans to embrace a new political direction, expressing optimism that the NDC would provide the platform for the state’s political and economic transformation ahead of the 2027 general election.
