Former Presidential candidate and Global businessman, Dr Gbenga Hashim, has expressed confidence that Nigeria can regain its economic strength if the country is guided by responsible and visionary leadership.
Hashim made the remarks when PDP Chairmen of the 62 wards in FCT Area Council, Local Government Chairmen of the six Area Councils and members of the State Working Committee led by the Chairman, Alhaji Ismail Mohammed Dogara, paid him a thank-you visit at his Utako office Abuja, where they reaffirmed their support for his political vision and pledged to intensify grassroots mobilisation within the PDP.
The delegation said their visit was also to appreciate Hashim’s consistent engagement with party members and to encourage his continued involvement in efforts to strengthen the party ahead of future elections.
Speaking during the meeting, Hashim said Nigeria had the resources and human capital needed to rebuild its economy, stressing that the country’s present challenges could be reversed with sound policies and purposeful leadership.
He noted that Nigeria once enjoyed a strong and vibrant economy driven by transparency, discipline and productive policies, adding that earlier generations of leaders laid foundations that allowed the country to compete favourably with other emerging economies.
According to him, the highlight of Nigeria’s Economic prosperity was in 1966 when Nigeria’s GDP doubled Malaysia’s and bigger than Indonesia’s, and in 1976 when Nigeria’s Per Capital Income tripled that of China.
Hashim also cited the industrial growth of the North and other regions during the First Republic as an example of what visionary leadership could achieve, recalling that policies introduced under the late Northern Premier, Ahmadu Bello, transformed Kaduna into a thriving textile hub that provided employment for thousands of workers.
He said the experience demonstrates that Nigeria still has the capacity to rebuild its industrial base, revive manufacturing and create large-scale employment for its growing population.
“Poverty, disease, ignorance and unemployment are not normal conditions for Nigeria because this country has prospered before,” Hashim said, expressing optimism that economic revival remains achievable.
He also called on Party Officials at the Grassroots to strengthen mobilisation efforts, describing Ward Leaders as the “commanders” of the Party’s structure whose work is critical to electoral success.
Hashim further expressed optimism that ongoing reconciliation efforts within the Peoples Democratic Party would restore unity among members.
“We will unite the PDP; all the factions have agreed to work together,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the PDP in the FCT, Ismail Mohammed Dogara, commended Hashim for maintaining close contact with party members across the different levels.
He described the former Presidential Candidate as a pan-Nigerian leader who regularly engages grassroots stakeholders and carries them along in his political activities.
According to him, their visit was to reaffirm their solidarity with Hashim and to encourage him to sustain his engagement with Party Structures across the country.
“Other presidential candidates hardly sit down with Ward Chairmen. You can see how Dr Hashim has humbled himself to engage with us at the grassroots,” he said.
Dogara also expressed confidence in the resilience of the Peoples Democratic Party, noting that despite internal challenges, the Party still possesses a strong nationwide structure capable of winning future elections.
The meeting ended with renewed calls for unity, grassroots mobilisation and collective efforts to reposition the Party ahead of upcoming political contests.
