Tinubu’s election will stop ‘Japa’ phenomenon – APC chieftain

The Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) in Canada, Mr Omololu Akpata, has said that victory for Sen. Bola Tinubu at the presidential polls would stop exodus of Nigerian citizens abroad.

In a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria from Canada on Wednesday, Akpata said that the emergence of Tinubu as President at the presidential election on Feb. 25, would tackle the “japa phenomenon.’’

“Well, the idea of ‘japa’ is not new in our human history. Immigration has been one powerful vehicle in how diverse our world has become.

“It is true that there’s a spike in the number of young people eager to leave the country due to the general sense that the country is not working for them economically.

“However, our country is not in a state of war, so, this is a voluntary exit and not a forced one.

“Nigeria has so much to offer her citizens that they cannot find abroad; that is why I see ‘japa’ as a temporary phenomenon that will eventually fizzle, especially when unemployment is reduced to bare minimum,” he said.

The APC chieftain said that Tinubu was the only presidential candidate who could harness the many gifts that nature has bequeathed on the country.

He added that there was no iota of doubt that Tinubu and Alhaji Kashim Shettima, Tinubu’s running mate, were the best candidates in the election.

“We live in Canada, and we are witnesses to how Canada has managed her great resources to the benefit of individual citizens and the country at large.

“If elected, our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will harness Nigeria’s resources for the country’s development.

“His antecedents show him as a visionary and transformative leader who understands that poverty is often at the root of most societal challenges.

“His legacy as the former governor of Lagos State continues to live on several years after, not only from the solid economic foundation he laid then, but also from the fact that successive governors since his exit were his proteges.

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“No wonder Lagos continues to grow in leaps and bounds. His running mate also has a stellar record as a two-term governor of Borno.

“Shettima is not just smart, he is perceptive and sharp-witted; a problem solver. They are indeed a winning combination,” Akpata said.

He said that the party’s members in Canada were connecting with their families and friends in Nigeria on individual levels to sensitise them on how critically important it was for them to cast their votes for Tinubu.

“In the remaining few weeks before the election, we plan to intensify our efforts in as many areas as necessary for Tinubu’s victory come February,’’ he said.