The 80-page manifesto that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate will unveil on Friday (today), has been previewed.
According to a statement made on Thursday night by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Director of Media and Publicity for the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), the former governor of Lagos is focused on national security.
Onanuga said that the manifesto would also be formally unveiled at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja, where the PCC will be officially inaugurated on Friday afternoon.
There will also be governors present, along with NWC members and other APC leaders.
“At the event which signals the formal launch of the party’s campaign season, the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, will unveil their Action Plan for the transformation of the country.
“The 80-page document, containing multi-sectoral policy options, is tagged Renewed Hope 2023 – Action Plan for a Better Nigeria”, he stated.
He states that if the former governor of Lagos State is chosen to succeed President Buhari in February 2019, he or she will give priority to national security, the economy, agriculture, power, oil and gas, transportation, and education.
In addition, Tinubu will tackle federalism/decentralization of power, healthcare, women’s empowerment, foreign policy, and policy solutions for the digital economy.
He promises to make significant investments in sports, entertainment, and culture as well as in youth empowerment and entrepreneurship in order to increase jobs and opportunities for millions of Nigerian youth.
Furthermore, Tinubu promises to continue and expand the extensive social investment projects that the Buhari administration initiated.
In his preface to the book, Tinubu claims that after talking to people from all social classes and traveling the length and breadth of the country, he came up with his views.
“Our nation’s history affirms that our people constitute our most valuable treasure. Whether the hardworking farmer, the industrious market woman, the dynamic young entrepreneur or the hopeful child, Nigerian people rank among the best anywhere. They excel in every aspect of human endeavour when given a fair chance.
“Senator Shettima and I have traversed every part of our beloved nation, listening to the concerns of our fellow citizens. Young and old, poor and rich, educated and uneducated, Christian and Muslim; all have expressed their views and concerns. People do not seek superficial answers to hard questions. Nor do they want the broken, unimaginative, failed promises repackaged and fed to them again. They want true and innovative solutions which address the challenging realities of today.
“Our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was founded on the premise that the people of our beloved country are entitled to the benefits that only progressive good governance can procure.”
The APC Presidential candidate said having listened to the yearnings of the people, he was emboldened to change their stories for good the same way he did in Lagos State as governor for eight years while putting together the best team.
“When I was governor of Lagos, my team and I developed institutions and policies that changed the face of the state. It became a safe place for its residents and an engine of prosperity for all those willing to work in pursuit of their economic dreams. What my team and I achieved in Lagos, together we all can achieve for Nigeria. Our objective is to foster a new society based on shared prosperity, tolerance, compassion, and the unwavering commitment to treating each citizen with equal respect and due regard.”
Tinubu notes that the total transformation of Nigeria can be achieved, by building on the foundation laid by the present APC administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
On security which he affirms to be the “bedrock of a prosperous and democratic society”, Tinubu says his administration will make it a fundamental responsibility to protect the lives and property of its citizens by mobilising the country’s national security, military and law enforcement assets to protect all Nigerians from danger and from the fear of danger.
“The current government has made important inroads. When it came into office, the Buhari government met a situation in which terrorists had planted their flags and claimed Nigerian territory as their own. The Buhari government eliminated these incursions against our national sovereignty, bringing peace to many areas. Thousands of formerly displaced people have returned home to rebuild their lives.
Recalling meeting a tough security problem when he assumed office as Governor of Lagos State in 1999, Tinubu reveals the herculean task he surmounted.
“When I entered office as governor of Lagos, the state was crime-ridden. Safety was uncertain. The population was fearful. With bold, no-nonsense crime prevention reform and creative institution building, we won back our state. It became a safe and secure place to live and do business. I shall bring the same determined, problem-solving spirit to solving insecurity at the national level.
“Our administration will be committed to permanently securing the safety, freedom and prosperity of all Nigerians.”
To achieve this, Tinubu promises in his Action Plan to further equip the armed forces with more modern hardware and needed technological support. He also says police will be reformed to fully take responsibility for internal security.
“Police reform will be focused on positioning the institution to better deliver on its primary duties of community policing and maintaining law and order through crime fighting and prevention.
“Police personnel will be freed from extraneous duties such as VIP security and guard duties. VIP Security and provision of security for government buildings, installations and other critical assets will be transferred to The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The NSCDC shall be evaluated and reformed to be better integrated with our internal security apparatus.”
On the nation’s economy, the APC Presidential Candidate assures Nigerians that his administration will focus on the massive and unprecedented 4th industrial revolution, helping the youth to be transformed from job seekers to job providers.
