Presidential aspirant in the forthcoming 2023 general elections, Chief Moses Ayom, has said that the current administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, has set a clear roadmap to the greatness of Nigeria, and thus forms a solid base to build upon.

The entrepreneur and presidential hopeful under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, made this affirmation on Monday at the inaugural Conference of the APC Professionals Forum held on Monday at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

According to Ayom, the group of professionals are inspired by the policies of the APC and the exemplary leadership of the “President and Vice President are the delivery vehicles of the laudable policies of our progressive administration”.

He said the interventions of the two leaders has ensured the rebirth of Nigeria and infrastructural revolution, adding that Nigeria under the APC is gradually moving from the previous state of professionals “scavenging the streets for paid white collar jobs to a more desirable situation of breeding entrepreneurial professionals who are creating wealth, adding value and growing the economy”.

Ayom noted that supporting a Christian candidate from the North Central which is the only region that has neither produced a democratically elected President or Vice President, would reinforce the “widely held belief” that the President Buhari is for all.

Speaking on the Ease of Doing business, he said “a lot of these successes can be traced to Nigeria’s vast improvement in the Ease of Doing Business index. This policy championed by our President have seen young people break previous barriers especially in fields like ICT, Engineering and the creative industry”.

“It is on record that policies like the social intervention programmes, access to micro credits, the agricultural boom and the fight against corruption have seen an escalation in the participation of young people in the economic sector.

“For me personally, I can testify here that I am one of the biggest beneficiaries of the ease of doing business policy of the APC government. In 2016, I was on President Buhari’s delegation representing the mining sector to the very successful trade mission to China where landmark agreements and partnerships were consummated.

“It was on that trip that the historic currency swap agreement was signed. On the same trip, technical agreements for the iconic Dangote Refinery were signed. My company, Granite and Marble Ltd also signed a ground breaking agreement with the world’s largest manufacturer of mining equipment, SBM China Ltd to establish Africa’s biggest mining processing plant here in Abuja,” he added.

He further commended the never-say-die spirit of the Nigerian professionals, many of whom he said have taken up the vast opportunities provided by our government to excel.

Speaking at the inaugural conference convened by by former Governor of Bauchi State, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo called on Nigerian professionals to jettison ethnicity, religion and others he called ‘parochial considerations’, in making crucial decisions for the development of the country.

Osinbajo noted that only politics devoid of ethnicity and religious considerations can promote and facilitate development in the country.

The VP thus stressed the need for Nigerian professionals to embrace politics that is driven by merit rather than throw up base considerations especially as the silhouette for the 2023 election draws nearer.

“The usefulness of professionals in politics is that you have people who are used to being assessed on the basis of their own achievements, who are unafraid to make competence the first advertorial of their acumen. In other words, professionals emphasize the role of merit in public life,” he said.