Ask Atiku Abubakar — Official Citizen Engagement Platform

What is your main promise to Nigerians if you become president?

My promise to you is simple: I will make life affordable again. This is not a political slogan to me. It is a solemn covenant with the Nigerian people.

Here is what that means in practice. I will support a targeted production subsidy for fuel refined here in Nigeria, rather than returning to an open-ended subsidy on imported fuel. This will support what Nigeria produces, support fuel refined in Nigeria, create Nigerian jobs, and insist that every naira of government support delivers a measurable benefit to you, the consumer. Because the purpose of government is not merely to announce reforms. The purpose of government is to make life better for the people.

I am determined that our young people will have classrooms, skills, jobs and opportunities that allow them to fulfil their potential, rather than an economy that leaves survival dependent on dangerous and uncertain livelihoods.

I also believe Nigeria needs peace and harmony, and that justice and fairness must be the hallmark of our nation. I am committed to interfaith dialogue, to peaceful coexistence, and to a climate of love and religious tolerance among all our people.

I hold firmly to the ordinary hopes that our founders fought for: a meal a family can afford, a safe road home, a child free to learn, and work that offers a path to a better life. These hopes are neither extravagant nor beyond our reach, and I am determined that every Nigerian must be able to reach them, not merely see them from afar.

And on security, I believe Nigerians deserve more than promises. They deserve peace, security, and the freedom to live in any place of their choice without fear. A government must feel the pain it sees, and summon the will to end it.

Where this comes from

Post on X Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1649147313707708417 2023-04-20 ›
Nigeria needs peace and harmony, and we as citizens must ensure that we live our lives according to the pleasings of God. We must make justice and fairness the hallmark of our nation. Let's not pretend that all is well. Our country is deeply divided. The outcome of the 2023 presidential election has made this division worse. I'm sincerely worried about this appalling reality. Nigeria is so important to us that we shouldn't abandon its fate to divisive and demagogic politicians. We are all stakeholders in a united Nigeria. We must be part of the efforts to achieve interfaith dialogue to achieve peaceful coexistence and a clime of love and religious tolerance. -AA
Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1709954523026878845 2023-10-05 ›
Being text of a press conference by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar (GCON), Waziri Adamawa, Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (2023), at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre on the 5th of October 2023. Protocol Gentlemen of the Press, Fellow Citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I consider it important to address and report to you today on issues that define the future of elective government and legitimate leadership in our country. Political leadership and active citizenship matter because they are ways through which we all work together to build a country that works for all who live in it. Our country is bigger than any of us, and its standing in the world affects the fate of all who come from or live in it. As leaders, it is our duty to advance the well-being of all our people and of the country. For this purpose, my generation worked hard to return the soldiers to the barracks and to defend the right of the people to elect and establish for ourselves a legitimate government. Our elections are established and governed by law and founded on the constitution from which leadership and government in Nigeria alone derive their legitimacy.
Post on X Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1970917595491545486 2025-09-24 ›
As someone from Adamawa, this incident feels deeply personal. My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones, to those who were injured, and to the entire community forced to seek refuge in the bushes for safety. The government must move beyond mere rhetorics and propaganda and take decisive, sustained action to protect lives and property. Nigerians deserve more than promises; they deserve peace, security, and the freedom to live in any place of their choice without fear. May Almighty Allah grant eternal rest to the departed, healing to the injured, and comfort to all who mourn. -AA
Post on X Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2094137083296407880 2026-08-30 ›
A father may travel when all is well. But when his roof is burning and his family is trapped inside, he does not pick up his suitcase and head for the airport. That is the issue here. It is not that a President must never rest or travel. It is that Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher. Millions of Nigerians are being grounded by hardship while their President is airborne. The people can barely afford to move, but the President keeps moving. A government that cannot feel the pain it inflicts will never summon the will to end it. Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again. -AA
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2103133598534574587 2026-09-24 ›
The former Vice President reiterated his commitment to policies designed to reduce the cost of living if elected president, including a targeted production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria, rather than a return to an open-ended subsidy on imported fuel. He said the policy would be structured to support domestic refining, eliminate waste and ensure that government support translates directly into lower prices for consumers. “My promise to make life affordable again is not a political slogan. It is a solemn covenant with the Nigerian people. “We will support what Nigeria produces. We will support fuel refined in Nigeria, create Nigerian jobs and insist that every naira of government support delivers a measurable benefit to the consumer. “The purpose of government is not merely to announce reforms. The purpose of government is to make life better for the people.” Atiku said Nigeria’s young people deserve classrooms, skills, jobs and opportunities that allow them to fulfil their potential rather than an economy that leaves survival increasingly dependent on dangerous and uncertain livelihoods.
Article on X Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2105647953729769974 2026-10-01 ›
Our founders did not win sovereignty so that a few could prosper while millions merely survive. Their promise lives in ordinary hopes: a meal a family can afford, a safe road home, a child free to learn, and work that offers a path to a better life. Those hopes are neither extravagant nor beyond Nigeria’s reach. Bola, the Promised Land is not in sight merely because you can see it from the villa. Nigerians must be able to reach it. We have  chosen a different course, peacefully and together, through the power of our votes; the message is clear: Tinubu must go. Happy Independence Day. May God bless you, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Atiku Abubakar, GCON Presidential Candidate, African Democratic Congress.
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