Gịnị bụ ọhụụ gị maka ọchịchị doro anya, ikike ụmụ nwanyị, na itinye ego n'ndị na-eto eto na Naịjirịa?

I join women around the world and particularly in Nigeria to celebrate International Women's Day with the theme 'DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.' Today, we recognise the potential of technology to transform the lives of women and girls in Nigeria and around the world. In Nigeria, women face numerous challenges, including limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. However, technology can be a powerful tool to address these challenges and empower women to reach their full potential. From mobile banking to e-learning, digital innovations have the potential to increase women's access to essential services and enable them to participate fully in the digital economy. But for technology to deliver on its promise of gender equality, we must work to ensure that women have equal access to digital tools and skills. This requires investment in digital infrastructure, as well as programs to promote digital literacy among women and girls.

Today, I had the honor of hosting the @MalalaFund team in Nigeria, led by Ms. Fatima Askira, @Fatiskira, to engage in discussions about possible collaboration opportunities between the American University of Nigeria, @AUNigeria, and the Malala Fund. Our shared goal is to enhance access to education for girls and ensure inclusive education for all. It deeply saddens me that education has faced significant challenges in Nigeria. To address this, I established the Atiku Abubakar Foundation, which primarily offers scholarships to young girls. Additionally, the Atiku Institute was founded to combat poverty among adult women. I also highlighted that through the Standard MicroFinance Bank, which I set up, we've empowered and uplifted over 60,000 women from poverty. I'm committed to joining hands with the Malala Fund to champion advocacy to make education gender transformative in Africa. -AA

The cases are endless, and the problem seems interminable. The APC-controlled government has failed woefully to give the people the basic things expected of a responsive government. It is a clear manifestation of the failure of governance. The government has continued to play the ostrich while the nation is plagued by insecurity. While the weak and vulnerable are neglected, the government is making empty rhetoric about reforms. And while our young men are abducted, killed, or conscripted into the army of the terrorists and our women and girls are ravished and subjected to different forms of gender-based violence, the authorities do nothing. This is in negation of the constitutionally guaranteed commitment that the security and welfare of citizens is the primary responsibility of government. I stand in solidarity with my fellow citizens and sympathise with the victims and their families. I urge the security agencies to rise up to the challenge and save innocent citizens from the horrors of banditry and terrorism. -AA

As we commemorate International Youth Day, let’s celebrate the power of our young people in driving sustainable development through digital pathways. I also urge leaders and stakeholders to commit to harness the energy of our youths and to make the necessary investments in this regard, towards a greater future for all. -AA #IYD2024

As we look ahead, let us harness our collective strength to engage all segments of society —governments, businesses, and communities —advocating for actionable solutions that uplift our most vulnerable citizens. In the years to come, I am confident that Nigerians will build upon the foundation laid by Her Excellency Titi and the compassionate individuals dedicated to WOTCLEF’s mission. Let us ensure that no child is denied an education and that no woman suffers through trafficking and exploitation in silence. Let us eliminate the shadows of trafficking and exploitation from our society. Let us unite in purpose and action. Together, we can forge a future where dignity, justice, and hope triumph for every Nigerian. Thank you for being part of this celebration, and for your dedication to this noble cause. Together, let us continue the fight, empowering our citizens and building the society we dreamed of.

On this special occasion of International Women’s Day, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the resilient, hardworking, and courageous women of Nigeria. Women are the backbone of our society and play indispensable roles in our homes, workplaces, and governance. Their contributions to nation-building are immeasurable, and today, we celebrate their strength, determination, and achievements. However, it is deeply concerning that in a democratic society, attempts are still being made to silence the voices of women in leadership. The recent suspension of Senator @NatashaAkpoti is an unfortunate example of such suppression, which undermines the principles of fairness, representation, and gender inclusivity. Women must be encouraged and empowered to participate fully in governance, not stifled when they dare to lead. On this International Women’s Day 2025, I reaffirm my commitment to the advancement, inclusion, and protection of women’s rights in Nigeria. A nation can only progress when its women are given the space and opportunity to thrive.

Our responsibility now is to ensure that his labour was not in vain. We must continue the fight for transparent governance, for institutions that serve citizens rather than exploit them, and for a political culture that honours merit above mediocrity. For that is the union he hoped to build, and it remains the union we must become. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as we conclude this memorial, let us remember that to celebrate Shehu Musa Yar’adua’s life is to renew our contract with the Nigerian dream he served. To his family, may the Lord continue to comfort and strengthen you. To his friends and comrades, let us remain faithful to the ideals we once pledged to uphold together. To the younger generation, know this: freedom and justice are never given; they are earned by courage, by conviction, and by sacrifice. May the Almighty God bless the memory of General Shehu Musa Yar’adua; soldier, statesman, and servant-leader. May He bless the Yar’adua Foundation for keeping faith with his legacy. And may He bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Never in our recent history have we seen an administration so openly dismissive of public sentiment, so casual in breaking laws, and so reckless with democratic norms. A government capable of forging or tampering with laws cannot be trusted to conduct free and fair elections in 2027. Still, we must not surrender to despair. These hardships must become the fuel for national awakening. Democracy gives the people the power to change a failing government, peacefully and decisively, through the ballot. Do not allow religion or ethnicity to divide you. Division only serves those who benefit from your suffering. Unity is the path to rescue. The so-called anti-corruption crusade of this government is a facade; selective, vindictive, and politically motivated. It has become a tool for persecuting opposition figures rather than cleansing the system. Fighting corruption is essential, but when agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are weaponized against opponents while allies enjoy immunity, justice is mocked. Institutions must act without fear or favour.

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.

● Unlock climate and green finance by building structured funding pipelines that attract green bonds, carbon market investments, and development partner financing, while improving Nigeria's capacity to absorb and effectively deploy climate funds. ● Boost agricultural productivity and food supply by scaling climate-smart agriculture. 1.6. AGRICULTURE The ADC will: 1. Make food security a national security priority, recognizing that a nation that cannot feed itself is a nation at risk. ● We will elevate food security to the National Security Council agenda ● We will align federal, state, and local government strategies under a unified national framework ● We will establish strategic reserves and emergency systems by building and maintaining national and regional food reserves, developing rapid response mechanisms for food shocks and price volatility, and coordinating humanitarian and social protection responses ● We will strengthen the linkages between farmers, processors, and markets; improve rural-urban logistics and transport infrastructure; and support agro-processing zones and local value addition ● We will increase Nigeria's agricultural mechanization to significantly improve productivity

My plan for you, Nigeria's young people, starts with this: you should not be asked to wait outside the room while your future is being decided inside it. It begins with jobs and enterprise. I know Nigeria has millions of young people with ideas, energy and ambition, but too many cannot get the capital to turn those ideas into businesses. I am determined to expand transparent access to finance for young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, technology founders and people working in the creative economy. Your surname, your political connections, or whether you can find a godfather, should not decide whether your idea gets a chance to succeed. As part of this, we will put in place a financing programme for start-ups and entrepreneurs, so that young Nigerians can move from dependence to enterprise, from unemployment to productivity

On jobs, skills and enterprise, I see millions of young Nigerians with ideas, energy and ambition, but too many cannot access the capital to turn those ideas into businesses. I am committed to expanding transparent access to finance for young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, technology founders and people in the creative economy, so that your surname, political connection or ability to find a godfather does not determine whether your idea gets a chance to succeed. This includes a major financing programme for start-ups and entrepreneurs. Our objective is to move young Nigerians from dependence to enterprise, from unemployment to productivity, and from palliatives to prosperity. On education, I want to change how we prepare young Nigerians for work. Our schools must place greater emphasis on science, technology, vocational education, agriculture, digital skills, critical thinking and entrepreneurship. No brilliant Nigerian child should be denied university, polytechnic or college education simply because his or her parents are poor. I see young Nigerians as the greatest national asset Nigeria has ever produced, innovators, farmers, engineers, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and artisans, and I believe no President can rebuild Nigeria without their active participation.

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.