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Nigeria now world’s capital of kidnapping — Saraki

Former Senate President and presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Bukola Saraki, has described Nigeria as the world’s capital of kidnapping.

Saraki made the description citing the rate at which citizens were kidnapped for ransom in the country.

The former Senate President said this in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Monday.

Saraki,who was in Akure to woo PDP delegates to his side, lamented that no mode of transportation is safe in the country because of the activities of bandits and terrorists.

“Anybody that travels by road risks being kidnapped, airport had been attacked by terrorists while a railway train was recently attacked by terrorists in Kaduna,” the former Senate President said.

Saraki, a two-term former governor of Kwara State, urged Nigerians to brace up and ensure they elect a president that would make nation’s economy better, noting that the 2023 general election should be taken as the expected turning point for the country.

He assured that his presidency, if elected, would be a bridge between the North and the southern regions of the country having been adopted as a consensus candidate by the Northern elders for the North Central geo-political zone.

Speaking on what he would do if elected president, Saraki declared that he would do everything possible to reduce the debt of the country by turning it into a productive economy.

The presidential aspirant assured that foreign investors would be attracted, saying he is well respected in the international community.

He said: “We must turn around and fix this country. What kind of president do we need. He must have the capacity, to understand the nation, and have economic capacity.

“I have brought innovation to Kwara State agricultural sector by introducing mechanized farming. We need a President who can unite the nation just like I united the Senate when I was the President of the red chamber.

“Every Nigerian would access universal health insurance. These are free and fair health services everyone should enjoy.

“We must improve our education system by paying our lecturers and providing adequate facilities. By doing this, we will produce employable graduates.

“To secure the country, we need a president who is bold enough to combat the insurgents and other criminals. I will tackle security by employing state-of-the-art technology.

“Women would be engaged in different departments in my government, besides provision of special funds for women and youths to start cottage businesses,” the former governor stated.

Saraki said he was the right person to become the next president of Nigeria, calling on the PDP to give him the presidential ticket of the main opposition party.

The former Senate President, while speaking on his emergence as the consensus candidate of the North, said: “The beauty is that the northern elders have spoken and I think we should go with that and face the issue before us, which is, ensuring that our party wins the 2023 general election and I particularly, to see that I win the party’s primaries and become the flagbearer of the party and lead the country and this is because I believe that I have a lot to offer and fix up this country.”

The Star