Ahead of the forthcoming general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party, Presidential Candidate, and former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has reiterated his commitment for Economic Prosperity as Antidote to Northern Nigeria’s Current Stability and Security Challenges rocking the country.
He gave address on Saturday at the Arewa House, Kaduna during an Interactive session with Presidential Candidates at the Arewa Joint Committee of Arewa Consultative Forum, which included Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Northern Elders Forum and Arewa Research and Development Project & Jamiyyar Matan Arewa.
While unveiling a policy document which encapsulates his vision for a united, prosperous society in which all citizens can realize their full potentials in a secure and decent environment, the former Vice President acknowledged the organizers of the program and mentioned that such gathering provided a platform for him to set out his policy priorities and strategies for dealing with Nigeria’s complex challenges. Atiku canvassed for all those who aspire to govern Nigeria to be given the same platform to unveil their policy priorities and programmes. In his words, “as we go to the polls in February 2023, there can be no better opportunity for the public to interrogate our ideas and strategies to deal with a plethora of local and national issues from the mundane to the most complex- particularly those issues that have important weight on the future of northern Nigeria” and further presented himself for interrogation.
Atiku cautioned that Northern Nigeria’s current social and economic challenges call for sober reflection, not partisan politicking and irrespective of our political differences, it should be our collective desire to see Northern Nigeria fulfill her potentials in the not-so-distant future. He warned that we must build consensus on one goal: Northern Nigeria must have its prosperity restored and must re-emerge as a vibrant, prosperous, and self-reliant economy, operating in a peaceful, secure, and disciplined environment.
Atiku stated that anything other than this goal cannot be an option and emphasized that he shares the dream of our leader and foremost nationalist, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of the Northern Region while announcing his Six-Year Development Plan for the region, noted the need for Northern Nigeria to ‘catch up quickly with even the most economically and socially developed countries in Africa’.
The former Vice president mentioned that Sir Ahmadu Bello had a vision to transform the region into the largest economy and the hub of investment & commercial activity in the Western Sudan; a region whose development would be anchored on its resources and the resourcefulness of its people. He enjoined, on several occasions, our businessmen to embrace modern industrial pursuits and revive that spirit of adventurous entrepreneurship which made medieval, pre-colonial Northern Nigeria great. He envisioned a Northern Nigeria that would attract investors, merchants, and scholars from all corners of the globe.
Atiku stated that Northern Nigeria can realise beyond the dreams of its founding father as it requires strong commitment, initiatives, and a discernable shift from the mistakes of the past, to lift Northern Nigeria from the abyss to the top of a honey-coated mountain. He stated that the region needs to articulate and implement a transformation agenda with specific policies and programmes to address the challenges of underdevelopment.
The PDP Presidential candidate therefore unveiled his Development Agenda which seeks the political and economic transformation of Nigeria into a united, secure, and prosperous country in which all citizens can live a happy, healthy, and productive life. He mentioned that Economic prosperity is an integral part of his Agenda that has five elements: to restore Nigeria’s UNITY, strengthen NATIONAL SECURITY, Build a dynamic ECONOMY for PROSPERITY, improve EDUCATION DELIVERY AND RE-STRUCTURE the polity. Atiku mentioned that economic prosperity is the thread that runs through the other critical elements of the agenda.
Atiku further stated that his 5-point development agenda is a national agenda but with local touch which is drawn up after careful reflection on key historical and contemporary events which have helped in defining where we are today. He mentioned that his agenda identifies where we are today, envisions where we want to be as a nation and outlines how we will get there. Whilst mentioning that his agenda is nationalist in outlook, it recognizes the desire of the federating units to chart a course of their social and economic development but within a national framework. It does also recognise that the federating units’ development prospects depend largely on the political and economic dynamics of the Nigerian economy and further stated that at all times, a strong and healthy Nigerian economy with a stable macroeconomic environment will be a pertinent factor in their development.
In promoting his development agenda for Nigeria and the development aspirations of northern Nigeria, Atiku mentioned that Growing the Economy bigger and faster by building sustainable infrastructure which includes railways, seaports and roads, stimulating MSMEs development to create jobs, improve incomes and create prosperity, Creating jobs for all unemployed and especially under-privileged youth which includes the implementation of a robust job creation and entrepreneurship development programmes that will target the youth. He mentioned that the program is designed to target specific population groups i.e. economically marginalized demographics, which are not served by the typical market systems. He mentioned that in the northern states, this will include the almajirai and other under-privileged youth who have had no opportunity to acquire western-style education.
In leading the fight against hunger, Atiku stated that Poverty reduction shall be the centerpiece of his economic development agenda and mentioned that economic performance shall be measured by the number of jobs created and the number of people lifted out of poverty. He promised to encourage more government investment in the skills development circle and will ensure re-structuring of the fiscal systems for liquidity and sustainability. He assured that his government will support the states to build a fiscal regime that is stable and predictable which can substantially narrow the gap between the local revenue yield and local expenditure. He promised to provide support in building sound economic management system, that is efficient, transparent etc.
Atiku promised that his government will encourage the states to learn to finance their capital projects through strategic partnerships with Private Sector. They should learn to utilize the opportunities in the domestic capital market by issuing bonds to finance their hugely capital intensive & services-oriented projects- power and water works, industrial and housing estates and markets.
The former Vice President promised to Re-position and strengthen the education system to cater for the poor and citizens with special needs and will aggressively address challenges of Inter-regional disparities in development having understood the widespread feelings of marginalization and neglect that have led an increasing number of Nigerians to openly challenge their allegiance to the country’s corporate existence through violent agitations, insurgency, and misguided demands for ethno-regional autonomy.
In his words, Atiku stated that despite the myriads of challenges confronting the nation, he remained optimist with the belief that the north shall rise again with its people happier, healthier, and wealthier, knowing that the region possesses all it takes to engineer a takeoff to a higher level of development with a huge population of 120 million people which would provide enormous market opportunities and serve as a potential reservoir of skills; which has a large agricultural sector can could provide tremendous opportunities for primary processing and for local resource-based industrialization; with tons of untapped mineral- resource deposits. He mentioned that the northern Nigeria Paradox: potentially great, but with all the features of an under-developed state but canvassed for all to work together to unravel this paradox and endeavor to end it.
The former Vice President mentioned that there are two critical success factors. First, the north needs to elect leaders who have a vision and a positive notion of development; leaders who understand the complexities of the development process and who, therefore, are willing to articulate & implement a transformation agenda with specific policies and programmes to address these challenges of underdevelopment.
Atiku stated that availability of resources matters little without a committed, forthright, and visionary leadership, with the necessary zeal to effectively harness and efficiently utilize such resources.
He mentioned that the second critical success factor is hinged on our ability to forge a united front in fighting the forces of disunity and under-development. Nigeria’s unity is being threatened by internal conflicts, insurgency, and religious intolerance and warned that we must restore northern Nigeria’s unity through tolerance, social justice as well as cooperation and consensus amongst our heterogeneous people. Atiku stated that Nigeria needs unity that is transparently and collectively negotiated and agreed upon by highlighting that this is the only way to douse the divisive tension and neutralize the negative elements of identity politics, which create a morbid environment of “we” against “them” with its attendant impetus for a desperate struggle to control leadership.
Whilst concluding his presentation, Atiku Abubakar ended with two quotes from the Sardauna of Sokoto.
‘Tribalism is a destructive force…the only solution to our problem which has a fair chance of enduring is one which gives all Nigerians irrespective of tribe or region, a reasonable opportunity to serve the Federation and derive from it just and fair rewards…’
On religion, he had this to say: ‘I have stressed before that the differences of religion should not bar us from working together for the good of our people…. Most sincerely do I assure that the most earnest hope of my government is that contained in the beautiful thought and language of the Christmas message that there shall be “peace on earth and good will to all men.”
