Buhari Has No Devt Projects To Show As Former Head Of State --PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged All Progressives
Congress' (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to show
any project executed in any sector of the economy during his tenure as
head of state.

The party's National Publicity Secretary, Mr Olisa Metuh, who stated
this in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said that it was a known fact
that Buhari did not develop the country while in government.

According to Metuh, when juxtaposed with the performance of President
Goodluck Jonathan's democratically elected government, it becomes
clear that Buhari is not and cannot be a match for Jonathan.

He said that the APC flag-bearer lacked team spirit which was a
principal component of public-private-partnership and critical for
national development.

He said that while Buhari suspended the nation's Constitution and led
Nigerians by the nose, Jonathan exhibited excellent democratic
credentials by enhancing the rule of law.

''Nigerians, including Buhari'', he said, ''now relish all kinds of
personal freedoms which he denied the citizens during his rule''.

"While Buhari enacted Decree 4 of 1984 with which he abolished the
freedom of the Press, Jonathan not only signed into law the Freedom of
Information Act, but also consolidates the rule of law in the country.

"While the Buhari administration carried out extra-judicial killings
of innocent Nigerians using widely condemned retroactive law,
President Jonathan has never trampled on the rights of any Nigerian.

''Jonathan has instead, remained sincere, humble and calm despite all
unwarranted provocations,'' Metuh said.

On education, he said that the APC candidate did build a single school
during his regime as head of state and never cared for the educational
advancement of any part of the country, including the North.

But, he said that Jonathan revamped the education sector and
established 14 new universities across the country in two years,
adding that the president revitalised Unity Schools and established
the Almajiri system of education.

This, he said, was an innovation Buhari never thought of, adding that
''under him, no effort was made to revitalise the railway as an
instrument of mass transport in the country.

"On his own part, President Jonathan has revived the railways. Today,
our trains are back, ferrying passengers and goods along various
routes across the country.

"The case is the same in the road sector, which was also neglected by
Gen. Buhari as head of state, but now it is being transformed by
President Jonathan.''

Metuh added that while Buhari did nothing to enhance the power sector,
Jonathan successfully unbundled the power sector with polices that
encouraged massive private sector investment for greater productivity.

"Today, the neglected automobile sector has been revived and cars are
now being manufactured in our country as a result of the New
Automobile Policy initiated by President Jonathan,'' he stressed.

He challenged the APC candidate to show Nigerians the investment he
made in enhancing the military and security agencies which suffered
the worst type of deprivation under him.

"Nigerians are more prosperous under President Jonathan; the nation's
economy now ranks as the largest in Africa as against the situation
under Gen. Buhari.

"What the nation needs now is not a return to the dark days, but to
continue with President Jonathan and his transformation agenda for the
benefit of all,'' Metuh added.
--(NAN)