Kí ni o ṣe àṣeyọrí gan-an gẹ́gẹ́ bí Igbákejì Ààrẹ, pàápàá fún ìdàgbàsókè Àríwá Nàìjíríà?

Secondly, it is a big boost to businesses. Aba is one of Southeast's industrial nerve centres. The other is the Nnewi axis. Inadequate power infrastructure is identified as the most problematic factor for doing business in Nigeria. More than 70% of firms in Nigeria use generators. Thirdly, the project is delivered by the private sector - and an indigenous one to boot! It demonstrates the resilience of the private sector despite all the business environment issues. It also demonstrates the capacity of the local private sector to deliver on such huge and complex projects. Why does this excite me? I have all along been concerned that: 1. The Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) has over the years suffered from inadequate investments, failure of generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure. 2. Nigeria’s core infrastructure stock is very low, estimated at 35-40% of GDP, below the international benchmark of 70% and below South Africa 87%, Indonesia 70%, China 76% and India 58%.

Nigeria is not working: One year of Tinubu is a cocktail of trial-and-error economic policies. On May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu raised the hopes of Nigerians with his pledge to “remodel our economy to bring about growth and development through job creation, food security and an end of extreme poverty.” Since then, Tinubu has also spoken about growing the economy at double-digit rates to US$1 trillion in six years, ending misery, and bringing immediate relief to Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis. On listening to this, Nigerians must have breathed a sigh of relief after their experience with ex-President Buhari’s 8 years of economic misadventure. Tinubu laid out no plans for the ‘remodeling’ of the economy but soon embarked on a cocktail of policies to achieve it. In May 2023, he eliminated PMS subsidies, and a month later, the CBN implemented a new foreign exchange policy that unified the multiple official FX windows into a single official market. More policies followed in rapid succession: the tightening of monetary policy to reduce Naira liquidity, a hike in monetary policy rates, the introduction of cost-reflective electricity tariff, and a cybersecurity tax.

The latest revelations circulating through credible media outlets regarding the federal government's covert continuation of the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) represent another chapter in the opaque governance under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. This development starkly contrasts with the President's firm assertions in a national broadcast, which followed closely on the heels of public protests decrying poor governance, where he declared the subsidy regime concluded. However, disclosures prior to his announcement have consistently indicated a resurgence of subsidy payments, albeit through less transparent means. This dissonance between the President’s words and his actions not only undermines the moral fabric of his leadership but also significantly erodes the credibility of his administration. At a time when the nation grapples with severe fuel scarcity and escalating energy costs, the continued delays in the re-operation of the Port Harcourt refinery stand as a national disgrace — a failure that rests firmly on the shoulders of President Tinubu, who also holds the office of the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

Unlocking the Potentials of “Nature’s Gift to the Nation” through External and Domestic Investments. Being an Address Delivered by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, Vice President of Nigeria 1999-2007 at the Taraba State Investment Forum Jalingo on 21st May 2025 Protocol It is a privilege to participate in such a forum that seeks to explore opportunities and forge partnerships to drive the growth and development of your dear State, Taraba, ‘the Nature’s Gift to the Nation’. I particularly want to thank Your Excellency the Governor and to commend you for your foresight in initiating this pivotal event. Your efforts towards promoting economic growth, prosperity, and improved living standards are clearly evident. This initiative to gather investors, both domestic and international, along with development partners under one roof aligns with your vision "to build a prosperous, united, and secure Taraba State, that serves as a model for growth, economic diversification, and sustainable development in Nigeria."

Nigeria cannot continue asking competent young people to wait outside the room while their future is being decided inside it. MY COVENANT WITH YOU Our partnership must also mean something practical in the lives of young Nigerians. It begins with jobs and enterprise. Nigeria has millions of young people with ideas, energy and ambition, but too many cannot access the capital required to turn those ideas into businesses. We will expand transparent access to finance for young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, technology founders and people working in the creative economy. Your surname, political connection or ability to find a godfather should not determine whether a good idea receives an opportunity to succeed. Education must also change. We cannot continue educating young Nigerians for an economy that no longer exists. Our schools must place greater emphasis on science, technology, vocational education, agriculture, digital skills, critical thinking and entrepreneurship. And no brilliant Nigerian child should be denied tertiary education simply because his or her parents are poor.

“It is a subsidy for Nigerian production.” The former Vice President said the Presidency’s reaction to Dangote’s disclosure showed how desperate the government had become to defend an economic model that had made everyday life painfully expensive for millions of Nigerians. “Dangote raised concerns about margins, price controls and policy uncertainty. The Presidency somehow converted that into a prophecy that the economy would collapse. “That is not economics. It is melodrama from the Villa. “A refinery warning that it should not be forced to sell at a loss is not the same as saying that government must never support domestic production. “In fact, the warning proves why the intervention must be intelligently structured. “Our policy does exactly that.” Atiku said his administration would not fix an arbitrary pump price and compel domestic refineries to carry the financial burden.

ATIKU DONATES ₦20M TO FAMILIES OF MINNA CUSTODY DEATH VICTIMS, RESTATES PLAN TO LOWER LIVING COSTS Former Vice President of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday visited Minna, Niger State, where he condoled with His Royal Highness, Alhaji (Dr.) Umar Farouk Bahago, Emir of Minna and Chairman of the Minna Emirate Council, visited former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.), and met with families and survivors of the recent deaths of 37 suspected artisanal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). During his meeting with the affected families, Atiku announced a donation of ₦20 million in support of those who lost loved ones in the tragedy. The former Vice President said Nigeria cannot secure its future without deliberately investing in its young people, expanding opportunities for them and enabling them to pursue legitimate and productive livelihoods.

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.

Question: Why did you fall out with President Olusegun Obasanjo and did that political conflict harm the government and how do you respond to his subsequent criticism of you? Answer: There is a volume of editorial opinions concerning the working relationship between me and President Obasanjo. I believe the country has moved past those details and exchanges. The issues ahead of the country are far more serious than personal issues between two people. It is undisputable that the government that I had the privilege to run as deputy to President Obasanjo is the best era in the political leadership of our great country.

Question: Would you support zoning when it doesn’t personally benefit you and, if elected, would you support a Southern candidate to succeed you? Answer: I am not sure that there has been any politician in Nigeria who has made more sacrifice than me to protect the principle of power rotation. In the 1993 presidential election that produced the infamous June 12 crisis arising from the annulment of the presidential election, I withdrew from the race to create a path for the late Chief MKO Abiola to emerge as the candidate of our political party in that election. Similarly, in 2003, an overwhelming number of governors of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attempted to prevail on me to jettison my support for President Olusegun Obasanjo and, instead, run for president myself. I declined their offer; I believed it was contrary to the zoning principle. If I am elected president in 2027, I would raise the bar of governance in Nigeria. It will be certain that only people with credible credentials—either from the South or North—will be bold enough to present themselves to succeed me.

● Within the first 100 days, declare a national emergency on out-of-school children and convene a National Education Summit to develop and implement a clear action plan ● Partner with states and local governments to identify and return out-of-school children to classrooms through targeted outreach ● Declare a state of emergency in technical and vocational education, expanding skills training centres and aligning them with industry needs ● Provide student loans and financing support to enable young Nigerians to access technical and vocational education. ● Integrate vocational training into secondary education to create multiple pathways for learning and employment 2. Reform UBEC for accountability and results We will restructure the Universal Basic Education system to ensure funds are efficiently used, transparently managed, and tied to measurable outcomes. Details: ● Reform the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to focus on students, not fund administration. ● Simplify access to UBEC funds for states while enforcing strict accountability and reporting standards ● Digitize UBEC processes to track fund disbursement, school performance, and project implementation in real time

I have the experience to lead this country, and that is what Nigeria needs now. I have done this work before. Nigerians elected me Vice President twice, in 1999 and 2003, and in government I led the reforms that returned loss-making government companies to private hands and opened our economy to private investment. I served Nigeria in the Customs Service from 1969 to 1986, and I have built businesses that today employ thousands of Nigerians, so I know how jobs are created. The two issues Nigerians care about most are restoring vitality to our economy and securing the country. My plan is clear: end insecurity, bring down the cost of living, create opportunities for every Nigerian, and uphold the rule of law. Nigeria has given me so many opportunities to be who I am today. If the presidents we have had offered better leadership, I would have retired my ambition. But I cannot, in good conscience, do that when I know I have better ideas to offer. The constitution allows a four-year term, and a second term is not an automatic entitlement. I am in this race to serve.

Between 1999 and 2007, as Vice President, I was chairman of the National Economic Council and also supervised the Bureau of Public Enterprises. Our administration recorded tremendous successes in these two undertakings, first, by seeing to the growth of the national economy at the annual average of 7 per cent and, secondly, by making sure that government scarce resources were freed from keeping businesses that were running at a loss. All of these I achieved as Vice-President, in addition to facilitating the reform of our public education that made it compulsory for every Nigerian child to have free basic education with the creation of the Universal Basic Education Board. I wish our administration had ended the problem of power generation and supply, but unfortunately, the approach to achieving that objective was a major aspect where President Olusegun Obasanjo and I have disagreement.