Gịnị bụ Ask AA, oleekwa ka ị ga-esi hụ na e nwere ọchịchị doro anya na ị na-aza ajụjụ n'ọchịchị?

I had a great time meeting with Tunde Onakoya, @Tunde_OD. He shared with me the inspiring journey he’s been on for the past ten years, using chess as a powerful tool to transform the lives of children in slum communities. Through his work, he’s helped many of them out of the slums and into local and international schools, using the game not just to teach, but to build critical thinking and open doors. Tunde also spoke passionately about his dream to build the biggest chess institute—not just in Nigeria, but in the world. One thing he said that really stuck with me was this: “Talent is universal, but opportunity is not.” I’ve committed to supporting his efforts and playing a role in bringing that vision to life. A big thank you to Tunde for the beautiful “NeoChess x Tunde Onakoya” custom chessboard he gifted me, proudly crafted with traditional Adire patterns; it’s a true work of art. He’s also invited me to his upcoming birthday celebration later this year, which he’s turning into a platform to bridge opportunity gaps and uplift more of our young people.

This afternoon, I received state chairmen of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) at my residence in Abuja. They had come to express their support for the mission to rescue our country from the stranglehold of the incumbent incompetent APC-led administration. They particularly expressed their worry about how the Tinubu-led administration has grossly derailed from the ideals of concern for the ordinary Nigerians, which they reckoned was the abiding principle of the initial APC administration. I took time to explain how current efforts to create a coalition platform began. I also gave them the pledge that the coalition platform, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is a people-powered political platform. I especially encouraged them to mobilise their supporters for the ongoing Voter Registration exercise. I enjoyed the warm and frank conversation and look forward to having a robust partnership that will not just oust the incumbent anti-people government but restore genuine hope to the people. -AA

Reflecting on the Past to Plan for the Future. Anniversaries are not only for celebrating achievements. They are also periods of reviews and reflections on the objectives and vision of organizations. The ACF anniversary should, therefore, be an occasion to reflect on the formation of this premier Northern platform and evaluate its impact. As some of you here would recall, when we came into government following the 1999 general elections, we met a divided North. There were numerous platforms, prominently the Turaki Group around late President Shehu Shagari, a group around late Dr. Sola Saraki, and yet another around the late Abdurrahman Okene. The first thing we did was to unite the North. To start the process, therefore, I consulted widely and set up a team of senior citizens led by the Emir of Ilorin, HRH Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, to go round the length and breadth of the North, inviting these different groups to come together under one platform. It was not easy, but I am glad that we were able to coalesce into one united platform under the chairmanship of General Yakubu Gowon and the Executive Chairmanship of Late M.D. Yusufu. Subsequently, great Northerners like Chief Sunday Awoniyi chaired the Executive Board of the ACF.

Let me be clear: I make no pronouncement on anyone’s guilt or innocence. That is precisely the point. Only a credible, independent, and transparent investigation can establish the truth, and it is the refusal of the Federal Government to guarantee such an investigation that constitutes the scandal before us. A government’s first duty is the protection of life. Where a life is lost in circumstances touching a high official of state, the burden on government to act transparently is at its heaviest. President Tinubu’s administration has instead treated this tragedy as an inconvenience to be waited out. If the death of a young Nigerian woman in a Minister’s residence cannot stir this government to act, then Nigerians must ask: whose life, exactly, does this government value? I therefore demand the following: One, President Bola Tinubu must direct the Honourable Minister of Works to step aside immediately, pending the conclusion of investigations. This is not a punishment; it is the minimum standard of public accountability in any serious democracy. No official under this cloud should preside over a federal ministry as though it were business as usual.

But I cannot achieve that vision alone. No President, no matter how determined, can rebuild Nigeria without the active participation of its greatest asset—its young people. That brings me to the central message of my address today: The role of young Nigerians in building a new democratic Nigeria. The current political establishment often looks at young Nigerians and sees a restless population to be managed, manipulated or mobilised only during elections. I see something entirely different. I see the greatest national asset Nigeria has ever produced. I see innovators building world-class businesses from laptops and mobile phones. I see young farmers feeding communities despite enormous odds. I see creators, engineers, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, artisans and professionals proving every day that the Nigerian spirit cannot be defeated. Unfortunately, I also see enormous talent trapped by poor leadership.

I see graduates searching endlessly for jobs that do not exist. I see entrepreneurs spending more money on diesel than on expanding their businesses. I see brilliant young people leaving Nigeria, not because they have stopped loving their country, but because they no longer believe their country loves them back. That must change. And it is precisely why this election is about much more than politics. It is about whether your generation will finally inherit a country that rewards merit instead of connections, innovation instead of patronage, productivity instead of propaganda, and competence instead of mediocrity. My challenge to you today is simple: What good is the strength of a giant if the giant refuses to rise? Young Nigerians constitute the largest voting population in our country. Yet, too often, you have allowed yourselves to be divided by tribe, religion and political manipulation while a much smaller political class decides your future.

Pay the contractors who've already done the work, and publish what is owed and when it will be paid. On any contract where there's a question about how it was awarded, like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway deal, the invitations, the bids, the evaluations, the final contract and every variation will be published, so you can see for yourself how the award was decided. That is how you know: not my word for it, but the paperwork laid open for every Nigerian to examine. Ask AA will evolve into a Presidential Promise Tracker, where Nigerians can monitor government promises, track their implementation, and see exactly how public funds are being spent, promoting transparency and accountability at every level of government.

Ask AA is a public information portal. The scope of the portal will be expanded to accommodate more public engagements on government policies and initiatives. Ask AA will also evolve into a Presidential Promise Tracker, where Nigerians can monitor government promises, track their implementation, and see exactly how public funds are being spent, promoting transparency and accountability at every level of government.

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.

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.

On measuring progress at state, LGA and ward levels, I am committed to taking power and resources closer to where you live. I will devolve more authority to states, including giving states a greater share of national resources and stronger incentives to develop their local economies. I will decentralize human capital and social protection programmes to state and local governments for more effective delivery, and strengthen our national data systems, including a credible census and reliable social registries, so that government decisions are based on real evidence and programmes reach those who truly need them. I will also digitize processes like the Universal Basic Education Commission so that fund disbursement, school performance and project implementation can be tracked in real time. On transparency, I will launch an online "Promise Tracker" portal and apply Open Government Partnership standards to publish live budget spending, contract awards, and performance metrics, so you can see how public money is being spent and hold my government accountable when commitments are not fulfilled. For infrastructure specifically, I will enforce mandatory third-party engineering audits and release funds based on verified milestones, to stop projects from being abandoned.