Today, former vice-president, Atiku
Abubakar declared at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja that if he wins his party’s
primaries, he will be contesting for the presidential seat in 2015. He spoke
about the present situation of the country, and how he intends to turn it
around if elected. His words;
I welcome you all to this special
gathering. I feel truly honoured by your presence. That you could attend this
event despite the security and healthcare challenges facing this country at the
moment is all the more gratifying. I thank you from the bottom of my
heart.
We are all here because we believe
that our country can be made better. We want to see Nigeria develop, prosper
and become the pride of Africa and the Black race. We are here because we
know that change must come and that change will come because of you.
As I move around this country
interacting with regular Nigerians, I listen to their concerns about
unfulfilled expectations, frustrations and sometimes disillusionment. Yet I
still see the excitement, determination and hope on their faces.
In spite of the many challenges we
face, it is quite remarkable that our people have refused to give up on
Nigeria. It is inspiring that amidst difficulties and growing anxiety over the
future of our country, our people have refused to succumb to despair and
hopelessness. This never-say-die attitude gives me immense hope and it is one
of the reasons why I can never give up on Nigeria.
The glaring mismatch between our
potentials and our achievements has become for many a frustrating puzzle; for
others it is a topic for national debate; and yet for another group, it is
doomsday lament. But as a progressive and open-minded Nigerian, I consider it a
golden opportunity and a bittersweet chance to display our courage, rekindle
our innovative instinct, showcase our character and turn the Nigerian dream
into reality.
The future of Nigeria is represented
here. Nigerians of my generation, who work tireless to earn a living, striving
to make Nigeria a better place for themselves and their families, and who are
entitled to retire in comfort, are here. Our youth are represented here.
(Please join me in giving three gbozaas for our youth: Gbozaa! Gbozaa!
Gbozaa!). You, the youth – endowed with fresh ideas, bubbling energy and a
passionate desire for change - you are the hope of this nation.
Without you, we really can’t talk of
a future with hope and confidence.
That is why the 2015 election is
about you. It is about how to ensure that you live safe and secured
lives. It is about making sure that you feed well, receive quality and
affordable education and training, secure good jobs, support your own families
and contribute positively to the development of our country. This is what a
responsive and responsible government owes its citizens. This is what our
generation owes upcoming generations. This is what we must do to guarantee our
country's future. This is what democracy promises. This is what our party, the
All Progressive Congress (APC), seeks to actualize.
Our party, the APC, at its inception
in July 2013, offered a great hope for many Nigerians as a potent alternative
to the ruling PDP. We have in our fold selfless leaders who cherish democratic
principles and practice and who have demonstrated their patriotism in deepening
democracy.
Regardless of the loud and lavish
political propaganda, deceit, official impunity and unjust applications of
powers of patronage and sanctions by the PDP administrations, let me assure you
that our party remains strong and capable of fulfilling the nation’s thirst for
change. And we shall do so united across regions, religions and generations.
I am particularly proud that our
party has adopted the innovative Modified Open Primaries in selecting its flag
bearers at all levels. This will ensure the emergence of candidates whose
mandate will be informed by the popular will of the members of our party.
Some people have argued for a
generational shift to younger leaders without much experience. However, I
believe that it is the responsibility of my generation to offer our political
shoulders to the new generation to climb upon, improve their vision and expand
their horizon. It is this trans-generational collaboration and partnership that
represents the best model to create the future that we desire and deserve. This
is a well-tested model; the future of this nation should never again be
subjected to leadership experimentation or learning on the job.
My story is similar to the story of
many of my generation. I was born in a southern Adamawa village to a nomadic
trader and his wife who was a farmer. I grew up as a shepherd and a farm boy. I
was the only child of my parents. My father had to be imprisoned by Local
Council authorities before he could allow me to go to school.
At 11, I lost my father and my whole
world fell apart. With the help of my mother, other relatives and friends of my
father, I pulled myself up from this doldrums and despair. I faced the future
with uncommon confidence, hope and faith in God. I am where I am today because
I did not give up. I struggled to acquire a good education because the
opportunity was made available. Most people never had a chance and their
potentials were never discovered and their contributions to national
development thus curtailed. I worry today that too many of our young
people who could have improved their lives and that of this nation have not
been getting the opportunities to do so.
In the 20 years that I spent in the
Nigerian public service, I built a solid reputation for myself as a diligent,
honest, hardworking and innovative staff. I retired as an accomplished and
fulfilled public servant. That is what every Nigerian who had diligently served
this country deserves and not dehumanization, humiliation and neglect.
I became politically active in 1987
because my imagination was captured by a leader, Late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, who
started with persistent determination and diligence to construct bridges of
understanding and love across the ethno-religious divides inherent in our
society. He convinced all of us who were bold to defy the status quo to
participate in his noble passion. We were convinced that it was the only way to
preserve our national unity and establish a structure of peace necessary for
national development. Even after his death, we have continued with renewed
vigour to pursue this dream.
My politics have always been guided
by the enduring values of fairness and justice, honesty of purpose, the pursuit
of excellence, selflessness and the love for my country. These values also
characterize my conduct in business.
As Vice President of Nigeria from
1999 to 2007, I worked closely with my boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, who
is also a passionate defender of Nigerian unity. We re-integrated our
country into the international community following years of isolation; we professionalized
our armed forces; we embarked on fundamental economic reforms articulated by an
Economic Team, which I had the honour to chair. We focused on macro-economic
stability and transforming critical areas such as banking, insurance, oil and
gas, telecommunication, pension and the Civil Service. We created novel
institutions that should lay the foundation for good governance and
accountability such as the Bureau of Procurement (Due Process), Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), SERVICOM, whose Golden rule is “Serve others as you
would like to be served.” Sadly, most of these institutions are now mere
shadows of themselves.
We also paid off nearly all of our foreign
debt which was crippling the country; we stabilized the exchange rate of the
naira as well as interest rates, and reduced inflation. What needed to
follow was for these macro-economic gains to be further translated into
improved welfare for our people.
With the reforms in the
telecommunications sector we increased the number of functioning telephone
lines from 200,000 at the inception of our administration to over 70 million by
the time we left. Our reforms also led to an increase in the market
capitalization of the Nigerian Stock Exchange from N400 billion to over N8 trillion
by 2007 and to nearly N13 trillion by 2008.
We also handed over well-articulated
master Plans for the development of multi-modal transportation system,
including a contract for the modernization of the railways. We also
commenced the implementation of the Gas to Power Master Plan, with a target of
26,000 megawatts of electricity expected to be delivered by 2015.
This is the story of the service of
an administration, which I am proud to have been a part of. These achievements
were made possible because of the vision, commitment and dedication of
leadership. Good leadership is what it takes to make good things
happen. Did we resolve all of Nigeria's challenges? Of course not! But no
one would say that there was leadership vacuum or a lack of commitment, plan
and execution.
We know the story today. Rather than
continuing to pay down our debts, our borrowing has actually been increasing
even though the price of oil has consistently been above $100 per barrel since
the inception of the current administration. The percentage of our budget
that is implemented has diminished significantly since capital projects are
poorly cash-backed.
A number of major manufacturers have
divested from Nigeria and relocated to neighbouring countries while those that
remain operate at far below their installed capacity due mainly to poor
infrastructure. The environment for doing business, and our ranking in world
competitiveness index have worsened. Therefore, job opportunities for our
teeming youth have become harder to come by. We recall with sadness the
avoidable deaths of job seekers during the poorly organized so-called
Immigration Service recruitment exam just last year. Up to this moment no
one has been held accountable for those needless deaths.
On human development, our infant and
maternal mortality, and poverty and illiteracy levels continue to be
embarrassingly high. Thus, while countries such as Ghana, Gabon and Botswana
are classified by the UNDP as being at the Medium Human Development Level,
Nigeria is grouped with those at the Low Human Development Level.
This situation reinforces the urgent
need for change. We cannot continue down this path of national decline.
Resentment, disillusionment and
hopelessness are the emotions on which insecurity and disharmony thrive. Our
country is more divided today than at any other time since the civil war. There
is a disturbing rise in ethnic nationalism and religious bigotry. This is
promoting social tension and mutual distrust amongst the people of Nigeria. All
over the country, there are daily breaches of security resulting in loss of
lives and properties. Armed robbery, kidnappings and human trafficking continue
to ravage many parts of the country. A bunch of extremist insurgents are
hoisting strange flags on large areas of our territory that they claim to have
conquered. Unspeakable horrors are now being committed daily against our people
by anti-social elements in the name of religion and other causes.
Government has a responsibility to
do everything possible to halt the on-going dehumanization of Nigerians.
Unfortunately what we have is a serious governance deficit. To put it bluntly,
our country seems to be on auto pilot with no one in charge.
We need a strong, dynamic, decisive,
competent and visionary leadership that can halt the current drift of the ship
of state, fight corruption, create jobs, rebuild our infrastructure, provide
social services and tackle insecurity in a decisive, robust multi-pronged
way. This is the change we want and deserve and this is the change the
APC is primed to offer. And that is why I am a proud member of this platform
for change.
To fix Nigeria, an APC government
will promote a new socio-political order which will compel the leadership to
always balance power and authority with service and accountability.
I have been asked why I am always
seeking to become the president of this country. My passion for governance is
that of a man who wants to do more because there is so much more to be done in
fixing Nigeria. This passion continues to grow as long as this government is
not really doing the fixing. I have what it takes to bring people
together and turn things around for the better. Therefore, I want to play a
leading role in the trans-generational efforts to save this country and improve
the lives of our people.
With the support of the millions of
Nigerians desirous of change and the hard work by all of us, the APC shall form
the next government of this great nation.
I have, therefore, decided that I
will, along with other respected leaders of our party, seek nomination as a
candidate of the APC to contest the Presidential election of 2015.
I want to lead a government that
will invest in its people because people constitute the wealth of any nation. I
want to lead a government that will create “A Nigeria for All”. A Nigeria
that is not about North or South, Christian or Muslim, but about a better
tomorrow where every citizen will feel secure, act with patriotism, having
assurance of the fulfilment of his or her aspirations.
I want to lead a government that
will rebuild the institutions of governance with zero tolerance for corruption
and nepotism, where hard work and dedication are adequately rewarded.
I want to assemble the best brains
in the land and provide the political will and commitment so that jointly, and
with the cooperation of all of you, build a Nigeria of our dreams.
Nigeria must rise to retake its
leadership place in Africa and earn the respect of other nations. This places
on us the responsibility of stewardship. It is the consciousness of this
national responsibility that has guided my political adventures; and it is this
call to serve that I have come to answer once again.
Nigeria must and will be
great. With your support and prayers, we will change this country for
good. We will create a country that will truly be the pride of the black race.
We will create a new Nigeria for all Nigerians.
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