Ask Atiku Abubakar — Official Citizen Engagement Platform

And no Jobs by qualification anymore people only buy government jobs, so if you don't have money you don't have a job no matter your qualification and through connections so I poor man that has no money and has no connection has no Job in Nigeria today, so sir how are you planning to tackle this iss

I hear what you are describing, and I will not pretend it is a small thing. My plan is clear: end insecurity, bring down the cost of living, create opportunities for every Nigerian, and uphold the rule of law.

I have done this kind of work before. In government I led the reforms that returned loss-making government companies to private hands and opened our economy to private investment. I served in the Customs Service from 1969 to 1986, and I have built businesses that today employ thousands of Nigerians. I know how jobs are created, and I bring that experience to this task.

I have told Nigeria's young people plainly that they do not need a government that teaches them how to survive hardship. They need a government that gives them the opportunity to prosper. That is the standard I am holding myself to.

To the working men and women of this country, including those struggling to find work, I have said you deserve leadership that spends the nation's resources on your welfare, not on opaque mega-projects that serve the well-connected. You deserve a government that measures its success by your living standards, not by the size of its spending, the growth of its debt, or the breadth of its patronage networks.

From my first day in office, I will put affordability and the protection of life at the centre of government, and I will account for public spending so that Nigerians can see what it delivers and for whom.

I have come to young Nigerians not just to speak about the frustrations you already live with every day, but to offer a partnership to change the conditions that created them, and to ask you to be active participants in building the Nigeria you deserve.

Sources:
• Candidate-approved answer, 2026-10-10, page 1 (CANDIDATE-APPROVED ANSWER)
“Help every eligible young Nigerian o…" • Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2093800029618061431, 2026-08-29 (Post on X) "Nigeria's young people…”
• Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2050126729478304027, 2026-05-01 (Thread on X)
“A Message to Nigerian Workers. On this Workers' Day, I want to speak directly to the men and women who wake up every morning and go to work in spite of every…”
• Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2105647953729769974, 2026-10-01 (Article on X)
“Meanwhile, local contractors who completed government projects remain unpaid. Many borrowed from banks to do the work and now face demands for repayment on m…”
• His answer, given directly, 2026-10-08, page 1 (HIS ANSWER, GIVEN DIRECTLY)
“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 1…”
• Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2103133598534574587, 2026-09-24 (Article on X)
“The former Vice President reiterated his commitment to policies designed to reduce the cost of living if elected president, including a targeted production s…”
• Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2087552029358956958, 2026-08-12 (Article on X)
“I have therefore not come here simply to speak about your frustrations. You know those frustrations better than I do because you live with them every day. I …”

Where this comes from

p. 1 CANDIDATE-APPROVED ANSWER Candidate-approved answer 2026-10-17 ›
I hear what you are describing, and I will not pretend it is a small thing. My plan is clear: end insecurity, bring down the cost of living, create opportunities for every Nigerian, and uphold the rule of law. I have done this kind of work before. In government I led the reforms that returned loss-making government companies to private hands and opened our economy to private investment. I served in the Customs Service from 1969 to 1986, and I have built businesses that today employ thousands of Nigerians. I know how jobs are created, and I bring that experience to this task. I have told Nigeria's young people plainly that they do not need a government that teaches them how to survive hardship. They need a government that gives them the opportunity to prosper. That is the standard I am holding myself to. To the working men and women of this country, including those struggling to find work, I have said you deserve leadership that spends the nation's resources on your welfare, not on opaque mega-projects that serve the well-connected. You deserve a government that measures its success by your living standards, not by the size of its spending, the growth of its debt, or the breadth of its patronage networks.
p. 1 CANDIDATE-APPROVED ANSWER Candidate-approved answer 2026-10-17 ›
From my first day in office, I will put affordability and the protection of life at the centre of government, and I will account for public spending so that Nigerians can see what it delivers and for whom. I have come to young Nigerians not just to speak about the frustrations you already live with every day, but to offer a partnership to change the conditions that created them, and to ask you to be active participants in building the Nigeria you deserve.
p. 1 CANDIDATE-APPROVED ANSWER Candidate-approved answer 2026-10-17 ›
Sources: • Candidate-approved answer, 2026-10-10, page 1 (CANDIDATE-APPROVED ANSWER) "Help every eligible young Nigerian o…" • Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2093800029618061431, 2026-08-29 (Post on X) "Nigeria's young people…" • Thread by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2050126729478304027, 2026-05-01 (Thread on X) "A Message to Nigerian Workers. On this Workers' Day, I want to speak directly to the men and women who wake up every morning and go to work in spite of every…" • Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2105647953729769974, 2026-10-01 (Article on X) "Meanwhile, local contractors who completed government projects remain unpaid.
p. 1 CANDIDATE-APPROVED ANSWER Candidate-approved answer 2026-10-17 ›
Many borrowed from banks to do the work and now face demands for repayment on m…" • His answer, given directly, 2026-10-08, page 1 (HIS ANSWER, GIVEN DIRECTLY) "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 1…" • Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2103133598534574587, 2026-09-24 (Article on X) "The former Vice President reiterated his commitment to policies designed to reduce the cost of living if elected president, including a targeted production s…" • Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2087552029358956958, 2026-08-12 (Article on X) "I have therefore not come here simply to speak about your frustrations. You know those frustrations better than I do because you live with them every day. I …"
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