Atiku Abubakar's Town Hall Meeting With Aba Business Community:
By Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP,
Okwubunka of Asa.
State Publicity Secretary
PDP, Abia State.
20th December, 2018.
History was made in the Enyimba City of Aba yesterday when the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2019 general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, accompanied by his running mate, Mr Peter Obi, the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus and many other distinguished personalities, all of who were hosted by Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, stormed the commercial city of Aba for a Town Hall meeting with the city's business and manufacturing community.
The venue of the meeting, Aba Sports Club 1926, was filled to capacity. Though hosted in Aba, the Town Hall meeting was more of a South-East gathering as dignitaries representing various business interest in the geo-political zone were conspicuously present.
Being an interactive meeting, many business men and manufacturers took time to engage the Presidential hopeful in areas they consider critical to their business.
Stakeholders like Ide John Udeagbala of Udeagbala Holdings, Chief Anthony Enukeme of Tonimax, The President of Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Chief Andy Uba Obasi, Elder Emma Adaelu of Chemlab Industries wanted to know from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar what he intends to do, if elected as President, to guarantee ease of doing business in the Southeast of Nigeria. They drew his attention to problems associated with ports in Onee, Port-Harcourt, Calabar and Warri. They expressed worry that it was cheaper and easier clearing their goods at Lagos port than from the above ports close to them.
The Southeast business men and manufacturers used the opportunity to complain of the menace of officials of Customs and Excise who mount up to four checkpoints between Port-Harcourt and Aba, even when their goods had already been duly cleared by the relevant authorities at the wharf.
A town hall meeting of this type also offered a platform for the South-east business men and manufacturers to psyche the Presidential Candidate of PDP on his take on electricity, road infrastructure, bank loans and single-unit interest and marginalization of the Southeast on state creation.
In his response, Alhaji Atiku assured that the Ports in Onee, Port-Harcourt, Calabar and Warri had no justifiable reason not to be effectively functional. He, therefore, promised that the Ports, under him, would function optimally.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar reaffirmed his commitment to restructuring the Nigerian State and so allayed the fears of the zone on inequity on state creation.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had, earlier in his speech, made a firm promise that , if elected, his government would guarantee restoration of security of lives and property, creation of wealth which would give rise to jobs for the more than fifteen million unemployed Nigerian youths, drastically reduce poverty in the land, unify the country and make Nigeria work again.
Both Mr Peter Obi and Prince Uche Secondus had, earlier in their separate speeches, appealed to the people of Southeast to be united in giving support to the presidential aspiration of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, whom they described as a detribalized Nigerian and one that has been known for enterprise, wealth and job creation.
In his welcome address, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu had drawn the attention of the presidential candidate of PDP to Aba as the hub of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. He said that any motivation from the federal government would go a long way improving on the gross domestic product of the country. Believing in what the pair of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi could do to Nigeria's economy, he urged the people of Abia State and Southeast zone to give massive support to the PDP flagbearers.
Among the personalities that graced the occasion were the wife of the Governor, Deaconess Nkechi Ikpeazu, Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Ude Oko Chukwu and his wife Vivian, the wife of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Barr Jamila Atiku Abubakar, the wife of Mr Peter Obi, Mrs Margaret Obi, the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr Eric Kelechi Igwe, PDP governorship candidate in Imo State, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha, Senator Ben Obi, a former governorship candidate of PDP in Anambra State, Mr Oseloka Obaze, a former governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, the Chairman of PDP in Southeast, Deacon Austine Umahi, Chairman of PDP in Abia State, Sir Johnson Onuigbo and the President of Aba Sports Club 1926, Mazi Jude Nwosu.
The Distinguished Senator representing Abia-South, Enyi Abaribe, gave vote of thanks.
State Publicity Secretary.
