How will you actually execute your reform agenda once in office?

You are right that execution is everything, and that is exactly how I mean to lead.

I have said that reforms can sometimes fail, and I will not underestimate the delivery challenges or the weaknesses of our institutions. As a responsible leader, I will pause, reflect, and where necessary, review implementation rather than push ahead blindly.

That is why I would sequence reforms to achieve fiscal and monetary congruence, rather than unleashing exchange rate reform, cost-reflective electricity tariffs, and fuel price changes all at once. I would be strategic in responding to reform fallout, and I would work assiduously to correct the weaknesses in our institutions that make delivery hard.

I will lead by example on this. Any fiscal reform to improve how we manage our resources must first eliminate revenue leakages from governance, including the cost of running government and the procurement process. I and my team will not live in luxury while you and other citizens carry the weight of hard times.

I will also communicate with you honestly, with civility and tact, because transparent communication builds the trust that lets you understand what your government is doing. I will consult with stakeholders to learn, negotiate, adapt, and modify policy where needed. And my reforms will wear a human face, backed by a robust social protection programme that offers genuine support to the poor and vulnerable, giving immediate comfort and security as we navigate hard times together, not a palliative economy.

On fuel and the cost of living specifically, my plan is a targeted production subsidy for petroleum refined here in Nigeria, not a return to open-ended subsidy on imported fuel. It is structured to support domestic refining, eliminate waste, and ensure every naira of government support delivers a measurable benefit to you as a consumer. This plan also has a clear sunset clause: it will gradually unwind as domestic refining meets 100% of national demand, as the foreign exchange market stabilizes, and as incomes rise.

This is how I intend to govern: with discipline in sequencing, honesty in delivery, and a readiness to correct course when something is not working.

Where this comes from

Post on X Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1813933025803075738 2024-07-18 ›

In the evolution of systems of government, a major concern for thinkers was a governmental framework that will reduce the highhandedness of the executive arm of government. It was thought, and rightly so too, that a participatory approach to governance, such that will make the government derive its legitimacy from the people will better serve the interest of the masses. And thus, to make sure that the executive does not go overboard in the application of its powers, the legislative arm of government was conceived as a means of protecting the people from the authoritarian tendencies of wielders of state powers. Regrettably, however, the democracy in Nigeria in the current administration of President Bola Tinubu has become an anathema to that general principle of democracy as providing primary protection for the people against executive excesses. This ugly tendency is being manifested by the steady posturing of our National Assembly, especially the Senate, of taking a reverse course in its core function and becoming a puppet in the hands of the President.

Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1853078096372535359 2024-11-03 ›

We would have been guided by my robust reform agenda as encapsulated in 'My Covenant With Nigerians', my policy document that sought to, among others, protect our fragile economy against much deeper crisis by preventing business collapse; our document had spelt out policies that were consistent and coherent. We would have sequenced my reforms to achieve fiscal and monetary congruence. Unleashing reforms to determine an appropriate exchange rate, cost-reflective electricity tariff, and PMS price at one and the same time is certainly an overkill. Add CBN’s bullish money tightening spree. As importers of PMS and other petroleum products, removing subsidy on these products without a stable exchange rate would be counterproductive. We would have been more strategic in our response to reform fallout. We would not over-estimate the efficacy of the reform measures or underestimate the potential costs of reforms. I would recognise that reforms could sometimes fail. I would not underestimate the numerous delivery challenges, including the weaknesses of our institutions, and would work assiduously to correct the same. I would, as a responsible leader, pause, reflect, and where necessary, review implementation.

Thread on X Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1853078096372535359 2024-11-03 ›

I would have led by example. Any fiscal reform to improve liquidity and the management of our fiscal resources must first eliminate revenue leakages arising from governance, including the cost of running the government and the government procurement process. I (and members of my team) would not have lived in luxury while the citizens wallow in misery. We would have communicated more effectively with the people, with civility, tact, and diplomacy. Transparent communication with the public is essential to build public trust, which in turn is important to ensure that the public understands what the government is doing. We would have consulted more with all stakeholders to learn, negotiate, adapt, and modify, among other policy goals. We would have demonstrated more empathy. My Reforms would wear a human face. We would have been more strategic in the design and implementation of reform fallout mitigating measures. I would not run a ‘palliative economy’ yet, we would have robust social protection programme that will offer genuine support to the poor and vulnerable and provide immediate comfort and security to enable them to navigate the stormy seas.

Post on X Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2003768142435164671 2025-12-24 ›

Dear @officialABAT, by July next year, your administration will have spent two full years deliberately ignoring a binding judgment of the Supreme Court directing the Federal Government to implement direct FAAC allocation to local governments. This is not delay. It is defiance. Your refusal to act is a calculated political move—using obedience to the law as a bargaining chip to force opposition governors into the APC and to keep governors within your party firmly under your control. In doing so, you have reduced the Constitution to a tool of convenience and governance to partisan bargaining. Let us be clear: Supreme Court judgments are final, not optional. Persistently refusing to enforce one is a direct breach of the Constitution and a violation of the oath you swore to Nigerians. Local governments are the closest arm of government to the people. By withholding their financial autonomy (which ironically you've been trumpeting as a core cardinal policy), you are not weakening governors, you are crippling communities, stalling development, and deepening poverty at the grassroots. Roads remain broken, health centres abandoned, salaries unpaid—not by accident, but by choice.

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.

p. 1 CANDIDATE-APPROVED ANSWER Candidate-approved answer 2026-10-12 ›

I have said that reforms can sometimes fail, and I would not underestimate the delivery challenges or the weaknesses of our institutions. As a responsible leader, I would pause, reflect, and where necessary, review implementation. My production subsidy plan also includes a clear sunset clause, gradually unwinding as domestic refining meets 100% of national demand, foreign exchange stabilizes, and consumer incomes rise.

Ask another question Talk to Atiku

How will you actually execute your reform agenda once in office?

Where this comes from

More answers on Governance