The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar; and his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Sunday, disclosed some of their plans to solve Nigeria’s major challenges if elected in 2023.
Some of their plans include the adoption of the United Arab Emirates’ security model, abolition of multiple foreign exchange rates, ending the subsidy regime on petroleum products, payment of backlog owed the Academic Staff Union of Universities, privatisation of national assets, amongst others.
Atiku and Okowa spoke during a live discussion on People’s Townhall, a brainchild of Channels Television and its partners.
Atiku promised to make health insurance available for all Nigerians and make incentives available to all to provide the majority of Nigerians healthcare.
The PDP running mate also said he will quell separatist agitations in the South-East through negotiation and restructuring. On his part, Okowa said strategic inclusion in security architecture is important to give South-Easterners a feeling of being part of the nation.
Also, Atiku said he won’t scrap security votes for governors and others. He said he will rather advocate accountability for security votes, insisting that government officials must not expend security votes the way they liked.
Atiku further said he can’t find anywhere in Borno where Boko Haram hid, adding that he had been to the infamous Sambisa Forest but can’t find any hideout. To him, Boko Haram is politically and economically motivated, and only good leadership is the solution to the over-decade terror war.
On how he plans to end Nigeria’s security challenges, Atiku said he may adopt the security system being in use in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) if elected president in 2023.
He maintained that adopting the UAE approach by monitoring everybody’s movement will discourage people from committing crimes.
“The security architecture I admire is the UAE security architecture and it’s primarily based on monitoring. You don’t see policemen in uniform in UAE, you don’t see soldiers but virtually everybody is being monitored on a daily basis and particularly if you are a visitor; from the moment you step into the country or go out, anywhere you are going you are being watched and that is the deployment of technology as far as security is concerned.
“That is to say we are aiming for the ultimate, but we have to deal with our current security structure. How we reform it to ensure that we give our people a more secure environment to undertake their own legitimate businesses wherever they may be, whether in the rural areas, semi-urban, and so on?” Atiku said.
Atiku, Nigeria’s Vice President from 1999 to 2007, insisted that selling some government assets to the private sector is the best for the country’s economy.
Atiku said this when replying to a question on why he is fixated on selling public assets which other leaders built with taxpayers’ money.
“I am not fixated but I think that is best for the country. I mean, let’s be honest with ourselves, we have four refineries and they have seized functioning; I don’t know for how many years now and every year we budget money for overhauling the refineries that don’t work; please let’s give it to the private sector,” he said.
“In every great nation in this world, you find out that it is the private sector that is driving the economy, they provide the jobs, they provide the prosperity, and they do everything, why should we be different? So, I am not fixated.
“If you feel that is the best for you go and elect somebody who can come and leave them moribund, they are not working and you are spending money on them, tell me how they benefit the community or the society,” Atiku said.
The PDP flag bearer argued that selling off the four refineries that are not functioning while the government keeps budgeting for them yearly, will afford him the money to fund other pressing projects.
He claimed that he could make N10 billion from selling the refineries, saying the money will fund the small businesses which will, in turn, create employment and prosperity.
The People’s Townhall is primarily anchored on how to sustain Nigeria’s shared democracy. It gives Nigerians a golden opportunity to ask important questions and get specific solutions to the many challenges confronting this nation.
