Son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo has taken his campaign for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United States.
Olujonwo Obasanjo, who is the President of Buhari Youth Organisation, BYO, said he was in the United States to solicit support for Buhari’s re-election among Nigerians in the Diaspora and other members of the international community.
He explained that his support for the re-election of the President was borne out of his focus on youth empowerment and securing the future of the country for the Nigerian youth.
Obasanjo said while in the United States, he participated in several activities aimed at projecting the administration.
He said: “I participated at the United Nations International Day for Education, promoted by the Nigerian Government through the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
“Education is one of the tenets of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, focusing on youth empowerment, youth participation and securing a better future for our generation and the generations to come.
“I also participated at the Nigerian American Business Forum where I met with many Nigerian professionals and their American counterparts. I went to Atlanta to visit our sister organisations there and to inaugurate many of our organisations.
“I also went to Detroit where we inaugurated some of the organisations. We also have many Buhari support organisations in New York as well.
“We have Buharists in the United States and all over the world. So I am here to encourage them and to support them in every way we can.”
He said his support for Buhari was informed by the fact that he stood out among other presidential candidates because of his determination to bequeath a secured future for the youth of Nigeria, adding that Buhari had opened up the space for the youth of the country to participate politically and economically.
“Recently, there was the women and youth campaign wing that was inaugurated by the president, which showed that he wants to ensure that the youth and the women have a strong voice in his re-election campaign.
“We believe that by doing that, Mr President wants us to be part of his administration going forward. Mr President is one who has made us believe again in our country, who has made us proud of our country.
“At the international stage, we are not being looked at as a pariah nation. So I believe for Nigerians at home and Nigerians in the Diaspora, they have seen that Mr President is the best candidate deserving of their support.”
Also speaking, Organising Secretary of Buhari Youth Organisation, Haruna Madisca, described Buhari as a man of integrity with the fear of God that Nigeria needed at this time.
He berated the plan by Buhari’s main challenger, Atiku Abubakar, to sell the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, if elected, saying the plan was questionable.
Noting that Buhari had provided an enabling environment for small businesses to thrive, Madisca, who is President, Goron Oil and Gas Limited, said through the NNPC Renewable Energy Department, there was a $25 million investment in cassava in Kogi that would produce 40,000 litres of bio-ethanol per day.
“The investment start-up on a turnkey basis is $25 million. The plant will employ over 2,500 people on a full-time basis,” he said, adding such investment was at risk should NNPC be sold to private investors.
