Mene ne fifikokinku da matsayinku game da makomar ƙasar?

I congratulate children across the globe and in Nigeria especially, over the celebration of Children's Day this year. The celebration of Children today is to give an opportunity for today’s leaders to build a brighter future for society. While May 27 every year has been earmarked for the celebration of children, our world is still troubled with existential threats mitigating the possibility of a promising future for our children. In Nigeria, for instance, we continue to grapple with the problem of out-of-school children and children being forced into child labour or even crime. Sadly, not much has gone into establishing a protection system for children against these dangerous tendencies. Either at the governmental or civil society levels, our failures to build the wall that will shield our children from negative influences that can affect their future remains inexcusable. I, therefore, call on parents or guardians and all stakeholders in the project of ensuring a better future for the children, to work in synergy and come up with specific policy frameworks that will guarantee a fairer future for the children. -AA

The event of this year’s #IndependenceDay is coming at a time when the country is at a crossroads in many aspects of our national lives. Sixty-three years ago, when this great country acquired independence, it was upon the promise of abundant prosperity and the principle of social justice. As a nation, we have continued to struggle to manifest the dreams of our founding fathers in upholding the promises of shared prosperity and social justice. We have encountered great moments when the flag of our dear country flew tall on the global stage through the industry of our sportsmen and women, the prolific distinction of our academia and the top notch artistry of Nigerian talents in the global music scene. The talents and doggedness of young Nigerians who have refused to give up on the country are the inspiration for a greater future that we celebrate today. The energy of the Nigerian youth is a formidable force in the consternation of manpower and skills that power the global economy.

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.

The people look up to us as leaders to respect these rules and, where necessary, to defend them. This is what brings us here. Today, we are called upon again as a people to uphold and defend the ground rules of elective government in our country. The constitution prescribes the requirements for those who seek the highest elective office in the land. It should not take months or, indeed, decades, for the institutions concerned to be able to do their work in establishing the credibility of any certificates presented by candidates for public office. We undertook this journey at great cost and for important reasons. The ground rules for legitimate governance in our country need to be upheld, and the reputation of our country is at stake. That affects everyone, Nigerians everywhere. I am a democrat by conviction and a citizen of a country that I love. The issues at stake in this case require us once more to re-dedicate ourselves to both the country and our constitution.

And, that is why, I am appealing to the good people of Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states to come out in large numbers this Saturday to vote for the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party in those respective elections. In Bayelsa State, Governor Duoye Diri has given a good account of himself as a leader who is directly responsible to the people. His giant strides in the areas of infrastructure and social development speak volumes about how his government has been able to touch the lives of the people positively. In Kogi, Senator Dino Melaye has shown great capacity to stand on the side of the people and, by so doing, using every opportunity available to him to drive speedy development to his constituents. Electing him governor will afford him a bigger platform to do even more. In Imo State, too, Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu has a rich profile of a political leader who is not only in touch with the grassroots but is committed to protecting the interests of his constituents. Senator Anyanwu is a political leader who I believe has what it takes to take Imo State to a higher pedestal in good governance.

Yesterday, I paid a courtesy visit to Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, at his residence in Lagos. -AA

As the Waziri Adamawa, I was obligated to be in my Adamawa during the Sallah celebrations. I held forth for the Lamido Fombina (Adamawa) in some of the activities of the Sallah celebrations. Today, I had the opportunity to pay a post-Sallah visit to His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2015-2023. It was a wonderful time with him. As usual, he cracked me up (to the extent that my ribs were hurting) with his peculiar humour. -AA

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as I begin to conclude, I need to raise another important issue: the future of the North. What kind of future do we wish to leave behind? •Considering the world of the 21st century, where knowledge is the greatest capital, how will the North survive without quality and purposeful education? •Looking at our demographics, what is our vision of the future? By UN projections, Nigeria will be 300 million in 2030 and well over 400 million in 2050, which will make it the third most populated country after India and China. •How do we feed this population, if today we are battling with huge grain deficits? •How do we educate this population and provide health care? •How do we provide jobs for the teeming youth in their hundreds of millions? These are the critical questions we need to address for these are the big issues for every community around the world today. We have to face them and deal with them or resign to the consequences, God forbid. The competitive environment of the 21st century will not accept complacency, it will not accept absentee leadership, and worst of all, it will not accept a leadership without vision or direction.

Great care was taken to ensure that due diligence was done in the process of forming this coalition. Yet the government and the INEC continue to undermine it, even trying to deregister it. Let me warn that any further attempt to interfere in the affairs of the party by the Presidency, INEC and judiciary will be fiercely resisted. Enough is enough. I congratulate my fellow contestants for this ticket to represent our great party in the elections scheduled for early next year. I know that you are driven by your patriotism and commitment to a better Nigeria and improved life for our people. I know that, like me, you are deeply concerned about the rapid descent of our country into economic disaster, catastrophic insecurity, extreme nepotism, political intolerance and the drive towards a one-party state by the current government and its party. I thank you for your healthy participation in this democratic process.

Will you contest for office, not because you crave a title, but because you believe you have something better to offer? Will you help build the ADC into a political party that is rooted in the people, disciplined in organisation, democratic in character and genuinely open to a new generation? I am asking you to say: This is my country. This is my future. This is my responsibility. I will not outsource it. And if you accept that responsibility, I make you a promise: you will not walk alone. I will listen to you, answer your questions and accept your criticism because I am not asking to be your master. I am asking to be your candidate, your partner and, if Nigerians entrust me with the responsibility, your servant. LET THE RIVER RISE Let me leave you with one image. The River Niger, from which our country takes its name, does not begin as the mighty river we know. It begins small, and as it travels, other streams join it. One becomes ten, ten become hundreds, and what began quietly becomes a mighty river capable of sustaining millions.

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.

Wa alaikumu salaam, and welcome. I'm glad to have you here. This platform, Ask AA, is one I have built as a public information portal, a place for Nigerians to engage with me directly on government policies and initiatives. It will grow into a Presidential Promise Tracker, where you can monitor the promises I make, follow how they are being implemented, and see exactly how public funds are being spent. That is how we build transparency and accountability at every level of government, not by asking you to take my word for it, but by laying the record open for you to examine yourself. I see you, and young Nigerians like you, not as a restless population to be managed or mobilised only at election time, but as the greatest national asset this country has ever produced. The innovators, the farmers, the creators, the engineers, the doctors, the teachers, the entrepreneurs, the artisans, you are the ones proving every day what the Nigerian spirit can do.