David Mark: I'll Restructure Nigeria If Elected President

Former Senate President, Senator David Mark, has promised to restructure the country if elected President in February, 2019.

Mark, who was President of the Senate from 2007 to 2015, made this disclosure on Tuesday when he picked his presidential nomination form at the Wadata Plaza national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja.

According to him, “Irrespective of our political persuasions, it is incontrovertible that restructuring of the nation is an idea whose time has come.

A restructured Nigeria, he further said: "Will further strengthen our bond of brotherhood and unity more than ever before, because everyone would have a sense of belonging and live in harmony in any part of Nigeria without any fear of molestation and intimidation.”

Mark also promised to tackle the intractable security, economic and socio-political challenges threatening the corporality of the country.

If given the opportunity, Mark who is serving his fifth term as a Senator since 1999 disclosed that “our blueprint Tagged 730 will address critical areas of our national life.

"Specifically, we will deal with poverty, unemployment and neglect which have forced some of our young people to undertake the very risky route of going through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in their quest for greener pastures in Europe.”

The 730 economic model, he explained, is a strategy that will turn the economy around within two years, adding that youth will be the drivers of the process.

“We will concentrate on developing our infrastructure, delivering on affordable housing, roads, rails and power. We will focus on Education and create a pool of highly trained citizens with excellent IT skills who will be employable as well as create jobs.

“We will support Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) as a matter of priority by providing interest free cooperative loans to produce optimally with appropriate technology which will be the main driver of the economy with attendant huge employment opportunities.”

Handing the Nomination Form to Senator Mark, National Organising Secretary of the PDP, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), praised him for his steadfastness and belief in the party over the years.

Akobundu noted that the party has been reformed, rebranded and earned the trust of all Nigerians.

At the wake of the gale of defections by PDP faithful to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the former's defeat in 2015, Senator Mark emphasised that he will be the Last Man Standing for the PDP.