President Edgar Lungu challenges political foes

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu yesterday threw the bait at his political foes whom he challenged to translate their personal business success into benefits that would trickle down to the ordinary people in the community they operate from instead of continued attacks on his government efforts to create jobs and reduce poverty.

The head of state drew a sharp analogue from the richest man in Africa Aliko Dangote whom he commended as ‘admirable and patriotic’ for bringing down the prices of cement in Zambia after he established a cement plant in the copper belt province.

President Lungu also beseeched Zambians to carefully chose a good leader that has been tested under strenuous circumstances to govern the southern African country another five years instead of “experimenting” with leadership at national level with ‘green horns’ that seek experiments.

The Zambian leader said he was the right man for the job because he has managed to unite the country, working even with those that had bitterly fought him in 2015 and extending olive branches even to those that had wished him ill.

President Lungu repeated the PF mantra through the PF manifesto that boasts of erecting more than 8000 kms of roads, schools, universities, $4billion investment in the electricity sector, the first in 40 years, health posts including quick delivery of farming in-puts that has led to maize production rising by 10 percent to over 2.5 million tons of maize this year.

Under his administration, President Lungu wants to produce more maize, diversify and add value to copper in order to create more jobs and reduce poverty of sound leadership.