The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, has explained why he visits markets for campaigns.
Obi, who embarked on an open tour of markets within the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos on Saturday, said he was attracted to markets because they were centres of production, manufacturing and distribution, as well as the hub of small and medium scale enterprises upon which the Nigerian economy rested.
A major plank of Obi’s campaign rests on production. He has repeatedly said that he will move Nigeria’s economy from consumption to production.
The LP candidate said that the quickest way to realize this plan of action was to “make our markets the epicentre of economic activities.”
Obi, who likes to describe himself as a trader, said he connected well with the business community because he was one of them.
A major highlight of Obi’s interaction with the business community in Lagos was his announcement that women and youths would occupy 50 percent of appointive positions in his administration if he was elected as president.
While addressing crowds of elated and excited traders in the markets within and around the Trade Fair Complex, Obi told them how important women and youths were in the development and growth of economies around the world.
Obi said he had followed the contributions of women in developed countries and was convinced that Nigeria would reap bountifully if it gave women and youths the opportunity to thrive and excel.
He gave the example of Bangladesh, whose export trade, especially in clothing, boasts of women occupying 50 per cent of the workforce.
Obi said he would replicate these models of production and manufacturing in Nigeria as one of the ways of growing the country’s economy.
To realize this noble objective, Obi said his administration would pursue an affirmative action or enact a law that would make it mandatory for women to occupy important positions in key sectors of the economy.
Obi also met with the diplomatic community in Lagos, such as the United States, Britain, Germany, and Finland, whose ambassadors or High Commissioners to Nigeria are all women.
The LP candidate said Nigeria, under his watch, will borrow a leaf from these countries that have prioritized the education and appointment of women into important and productive positions.
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