Wace rawa ne shugabanci, ƴan ƙasa masu himma, da zuba jari a cikin matasa suke takawa wajen gina makomar Najeriya?

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.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we have to brace up; we don’t have much time. Closing Appeal. In closing this short speech, I would like to appeal to our sense of responsibility as Northern leaders to reconsider our priorities and rise up to the numerous challenges facing the North. We have seen how the North remembers its true leaders like Sir Ahmadu Bello, gone for a long time, but still remembered every day. Let us ask ourselves, how would we like to be remembered, after we have gone? As people who made the necessary sacrifices for the rest of us? Or as people who seized the opportunities and only buttered their bread? If there is any time for the North to unite, it is now. And it is my ardent hope that we should resist those trying to divide us along ethnic or religious lines and rise above these differences; look at the challenges on the horizon and come together as the one people we have always been.

We will be guided by clear national plans with set targets and timelines in line with commitments enshrined in our party’s manifesto. We will provide clear leadership that will empower our states to competitively attain the potentials of meeting the expectations of citizens. That will include working with them to guarantee well-outlined minimum standards of welfare provision in line with international best standards. Ours will be a new era of accountable leadership. We shall prioritise Security, Education, the Economy, Healthcare and the challenge of power- sharing among the constituent units of our country. Security Every region of this country is gripped by insecurity, the worst kind in our history. Our people are being slaughtered in large numbers and the government has failed to take decisive and effective action to stop it and bring the perpetrators to justice. The most disturbing is that members of our security forces, including military generals, are being slaughtered wantonly in a manner that can only be embarrassing to our military, which fought to keep the country together and is highly respected in various parts of the world where they distinguished themselves in international assignments. All we have been getting from the government is silence and, on occasion, expression of condolence and empty promises to deal with the murderers.

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.

Where competence matters more than connections. Where character matters more than political patronage. Where hard work is rewarded, and every young Nigerian has a fair opportunity to succeed. My dear young people, The greatest tragedy before us is not that Nigerian youths lack talent. The greatest tragedy is that Nigeria has lacked leadership worthy of your talent. That is why this election is different. This election is not merely about changing a government. It is about changing the direction of our country. It is about restoring hope. It is about rebuilding confidence. It is about creating opportunities. It is about ensuring that no young Nigerian feels compelled to abandon the country of his birth in search of dignity elsewhere. I believe in the Nigerian youth. I believe in your intelligence. I believe in your creativity. I believe in your resilience. And I believe that if we work together, there is no obstacle too great for our nation to overcome.

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.

My dear Francis, thank you for taking the time to truly understand what I am proposing. That means a great deal to me. I am not restoring subsidy so that Nigeria can keep paying for imported petrol. I am restoring subsidy so that Nigerians can produce more at home, pay less for fuel, and keep more money in their pockets. That is the difference between import subsidy and production subsidy. Think about shoes. If government wants Nigerians to buy shoes more cheaply, it can spend public money making imported shoes cheaper, or it can support shoemakers in Aba to reduce their production costs so they can make more shoes here, employ more Nigerians and sell at more affordable prices. I choose the Aba shoemaker. I will do the same with fuel. We will support crude refined in Nigeria so our refineries can produce at a lower cost and you can pay less. But for me, this is bigger than fuel. I want the bus fare you pay every morning to come down. I want the cost of taking food from the farm to the market to come down. I want the trader to spend less. I want the barber, tailor, welder and small business owner to spend less on energy.

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

So ask me anything. The greatest service you can do is to insist that I earn your trust through ideas, character, competence and integrity, not slogans. That is the kind of partnership I have come to build with you.

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 hardship and jobs, my commitment is to restore purchasing power, reduce the cost of living and deliberately expand opportunities for young Nigerians. This includes a financing programme for start-ups and entrepreneurs. I will expand transparent access to finance for young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, technology founders and people working in the creative economy, so that a person's surname, political connection or ability to find a godfather does not determine whether a good idea gets a chance to succeed. I have said our objective is simple: move young Nigerians from dependence to enterprise, from unemployment to productivity, and from palliatives to prosperity. On education, I have said schools must place greater emphasis on science, technology, vocational education, agriculture, digital skills, critical thinking and entrepreneurship, and that no brilliant Nigerian child should be denied university, polytechnic or college education simply because their parents are poor.

MY COVENANT WITH YOU Our partne…" • Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2098476924813115799, 2026-09-11 (Post on X) "My dear Francis, thank you for taking the time to truly understand what I am proposing. That means a great deal to me. I am not restoring subsidy so that Nig…" • Candidate-approved answer, 2026-10-10, page 1 (CANDIDATE-APPROVED ANSWER) "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 …" • Article by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2087552029358956958, 2026-08-12 (Article on X) "I Have Come to Offer You a Partnership to Build the Nigeria You Deserve. I greet you in the unbreakable and unconquerable spirit of the African Democratic Co…"