The current state of hunger and poverty in the country shall be adequately addressed by the PDP if it wins the February presidential election.
The indication was given today by Mr Charles Aniagwu,
spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council while speaking on AIT television today monitored in Asaba.
Aniagwu disclosed that the PDP economic blue print was clear on how to tackle poverty and the rising cost of food.
Aniagwu prided Atiku as the only presidential candidate with vast experience in agriculture.
Aniagwu argued thus :
“As a successful farmer, Atiku owns Adama Farms and they are into the production of beverages and other products in the food value chain, he already knows that for the private sector to have a role you need to be able to stimulate certain processes including access to soft loans, ensure access to land are made easier.
“Specifically, Atiku is very clear that to stimulate growth in the agricultural sector, you need make access to farm inputs such as fertilisers, tractors and other needed facilities including seedlings much more easier for farmers to access.
“In doing so, it is not only production but improve the food value chain by ensuring that the man who produces must also have access to processing.
“When you produce without processing the goods would rot away and because the farmer is scared of losing his money he may sell at prices far below what its supposed to be.
“Atiku is looking beyond giving them access to farm inputs, after production, he is also interested in the other value chain which is how to dispose what you has been produced.
He will also make veterinary services available for aquaculture and animal farming, irrigation to for all year round farming as well as animal husbandry, ranching and access to funds.
So with all of these incentives, the farmer would upscale from subsistence level to commercial level where beyond feeding themselves and those around them, they can also earn a living and also acquire other things that makes life better,”
Aniagwu said Atiku reforms in the power sector would make it possible for states to generate and distribute electricity the way Delta State is currently doing. Aniagwu explained further :
“The idea of leaving power generation in the hands of the federal government is not good enough for a developing country like Nigeria.
Although there seems to be some form of quasi-liberalisation of the power sector but it has not been backed by relevant laws such that you take away both generation, transmission, distribution and then make it possible for individuals to be able to generate power if they have the capacity.
“He is going to make it possible for individuals to be able generate captive power like what we are doing in Delta, where almost every government facility is powered by our Independent Power Plant.
“What that does is that you are able to have a reasonable amount of power supply which today Nigerians agree is the bane of our development and once he is able to address the issue of power challenge through this decentralisation of power generation, distribution and transmission of power, then we would have been able to address the many challenges facing Nigerians particularly the Micro and Medium Scale Industries we have in this country.,’