Nigeria’s opposition leader, Atiku, focuses on Economy as his campaign begins

 

Nigeria’s opposition leader, Atiku, focuses on Economy as his campaign begins

 

Presidential candidate of main opposition party for the February 2019 election in Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has launched his presidential campaign today in Yola, North-East Nigeria. In a live Facebook and Twitter broadcast, Atiku dwelled on how his policy instrument would transform the economy of the country for the better.

Nigerian economy was hit by recession shortly after incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari took over reigns of power in 2015. Although the country’s statistics bureau has said the economy has exited recession about a year ago, the impact of recession is still largely felt on the streets.

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Atiku’s policy document on ‘Get Nigerian Working Again’ slogan could be downloaded on his campaign website: atiku.org or his pages Facebook.com/Atiku.org and Twitter.com/Atiku.

Hopes are high that Atiku, an entrepreneur who has also picked a folk entrepreneur from the South-East and former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, may be able to reverse the scathing economic challenges in the country.

However, Atiku will have a huge challenge in Buhari who has also launched his campaign on Sunday. Buhari he would renovate schools and get education working again.

While Nigeria’s elites will support Atiku, it is still given that the huge fanatical number of non-college voters, especially from the North will vote Buhari.

Atiku’s broadcast read: “In 2018, I sought the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party to fly their flag as a presidential candidate of Nigeria. Today, I am formally launching my campaign. Too many of our people are not doing well economically.

The most important question is, are you better off than you were four years ago?

That is why I am here to tell you how we want to get Nigeria working again. I also want us to discuss the issue of getting Nigeria working again together.

So many politicians have made policies they cannot deliver one. I am not here to just make grandiose promises, but promises that are achievable. I have worked with experts over the past several years. I am not talking about what I could do, I am talking about what I have done before.

While vice president, I chaired Nigeria’s economic council and took policies that boosted the country’s gross domestic product.

We brought telephone connections from a few hundred thousands to over 100 million today.

We were able to achieve this because we had a plan. I am here to unveil my plan for Nigeria. A plan that will increase Nigeria’s productivity. A plan that will care for our women. A plan that will help create jobs.

The sad fact today is that too many of our people are not working. We have never been so divided as a nation.

I am strongly of the view that I am just one Nigerian, and one Nigerian cannot be as wise as all Nigerians. That is why I am for inclusive governance. Atiku Abubakar is 100 percent Nigerian, 100 percent of the time.

It is my desire to run for the office of the president of Nigeria. My plan will reduce maternal mortality and care for the elderly. Above all, my plan will help create jobs.

Without jobs, there would be crime, drugs use and insecurity.

I am not just presenting these policies to you, I want you to own them and review them and have your say.

One thing I have learnt from travelling across the country is that our people need jobs. Without jobs, people would continue to live in poverty. I am here to restructure the polity and get Nigeria working again.

If elected president, I will be proactive in attracting investment and supporting small and medium scale enterprises.

I plan to double our GDP to $900 billion by 2025. These investments will create a minimum of 2.5 million jobs annually and lift at least 50 million people from poverty in the first two years

Our SME venture capitalists initiatives will help people out of poverty. My plan will lead to vast increase in internally generated revenues.

No state would receive less funding than they do today, in fact all states would receive more.

I started out as an orphan, but God through the Nigerian state invested in me and here I am today. If Nigeria works for me, I owe it a duty to make sure that Nigeria works for others.

Thank you for watching. May God bless you and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.