Atiku Abubakar
Rarely, in Nigerian Presidential elections, has the choice before
Nigerians been so stark and the economic prospects of the country so
bleak.The choice before us as Nigerians is between moving forward as a
country or more of the same hopelessness and rising poverty. There must
be no doubt in our minds as Nigerians about the gravity of the 2019
elections.
The Post Civil War consensus of a unified and indivisible Nigeria
of the past 48 years is fraying—maybe even breaking down. Nepotism in
appointments at the federal level has put a dent on the principle of
federal character—a key pillar of the post civil war Nigeria.
The continued rampage of Boko Haram in the North East including
their vicious war against education, particularly the education of the
girl child, shows a failure of leadership. Further down, in the Middle
Belt, the incessant killings of indigenous populations with no response
from the government has emboldened killer herdsmen, threatening our
nation’s unity and spreading havoc and fear in the hearts and minds of
the people of the Middle Belt. Also, the stringent calls for
restructuring around the country is a genie that can never be put back
into its bottle; and the present government has shown no interest or
willingness to engage with the fundamental questions of our Nationhood.
Nigeria is in dire need of healing and unity. This indeed is a
moment for sober reflection and a renewed desire to rescue our country
from the deep malaise we have found ourselves in. It also impossible to
overemphasize the importance of electing a leader who has a magnanimous
spirit and is able to unify the disparate groups in Nigeria. Our country
more than ever needs a unifier, a person who is not vindictive and who
plays the kind of politics that gives no room for bitterness.
The Buhari led administration has failed to appreciate the
challenges of this moment. On the economic front, it took him 6 months
to put together a cabinet and his economic policies have shown no
discernible focus or direction, leading investors to pull their
investments out of Nigeria in droves. His government has also shown
contempt for Nigeria’s hard-fought democracy by abusing the independence
of the judiciary, threatening the rule of law by subjugating it to
National security, and unleashing brazen attacks against the opposition.
He has also repeatedly abused the concept of separation of powers,
violated the principle of federal character repeatedly, buried our
economy in the doldrums, and capped it up by making Nigeria the poverty
capital of the world.
In comparison, one candidate has the credentials to take Nigeria
from this dark era in its history. Mr. Atiku Abubakar has served as
Vice President of the Country during a trying period, when Nigeria was
emerging from 14 years of uninterrupted military rule. As Vice
President, Atiku Abubakar and his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo,
went to work sorting out the mess they inherited without blaming
previous administrations, because they came prepared to deal with the
challenges of office. They assembled a fantastic team of technocrats
that achieved debt relief, grew the economy consistently and also
achieved the Telecommunication revolution.
Yet, Mr Atiku Abubakar has much to prove to Nigerians. To many
Nigerians, Mr Atiku’s decades of public service is problematic for them.
They see him as part of the old political class who has been Vice
President, Governor Elect and has contested for the position of
president on four different occasions.
The uncomfortable truth is that Mr Atiku has acquired an unfair tag
of being corrupt despite actions that clearly reflect integrity, such
as his refusal as a young customs officer to allow “53 suitcases” into
the country illegally, and recommending the honest and vibrant late Dr.
Dora Akunyili (of blessed memory) for the position of DG of NAFDAC. He
was also instrumental to the establishment of various anti-corruption
policies and institutions like the EFCC and ICPC.
On the economy, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, is a
Businessman who has created over 50,000 direct jobs, he is an
educationist who understands the entire value chain of education and its
impact on national development having successfully run educational
institutions from the Nursery level to the Tertiary level. He
understands the language of business and has shown that he will be able
to assuage the concerns of foreign and local investors thereby creating
an enabling environment for economic growth. In his choice of Vice
President, he has also added to his team former Governor of Anambra
State Peter Obi; a competent economic manager who will no doubt
spearhead the economic policies of the government.
On inclusion, Atiku Abubakar is a nationalist who feels at home in
modern Nigeria; is comfortable with and in fact actively desires
diversity. He is a practical example of a well-integrated and
detribalized Nigerian who will leave no part of the country behind and
his government will reflect federal character. On the issue of youth
participation in governance, he is also comfortable working with young
people and has said publicly on the BBC, that 40% of his cabinet will be
made up of young people and we will hold him to account on this
promise.
If elected, Mr Atiku must work out how to heal the divisiveness
that characterizes the Nigeria of today. In the national interest, he
must show a willingness to work to heal and unite a fractured country.
He must bring to the fore the magnanimous spirit he displayed at the PDP
convention in PH, when he shared his moment of glory by honoring his
former boss, President Obasanjo and the successful efforts of
reconciliation between them to unify a heavily divided and bitter
country. This has proven to be beyond President Buhari, whose government
has been unable and unwilling to unify the country.
After three and half years of economic dislocation, Atiku’s
economic agenda from May 29th, 2019 must be clear: appointment of sound
technocrats to deal with the economy, restructuring, that will entail
reducing the amount of items on the exclusive list and devolving it to
the states; state policing to deal with the challenges of the killings
in the middle belt; Local Government reforms, particularly financial
autonomy of the L.G.As which can be achieved by paying the allocations
of the Local Governments straight to their accounts; an end to illegal
caretaker chairmen; boosting infrastructure; and restructuring our
national debts. There should also be a constitutional amendment to deal
with all areas of inequality in the current 1999 constitution (as
amended).
The 2019 election, more than any in our country’s history, is a
test for the democracy of our country with profound implications for our
nation, for the West African sub region, and for Africa as a whole.
Atiku Abubakar has shown that he is more competent and inclusive than
President Buhari, whose poor handling of the economy and divisiveness is
on daily display. Finally, Mr Atiku is eminently qualified, to be
elected the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2019, and he
is the best hope to lift our boats from this strong tide of
helplessness and overwhelming poverty and to detoxify the toxic state of
our politics.
None of the two contestants is ideal or perfect, but a closer
analysis of both candidates should inform us that one of the candidates
is significantly better than the other on two critical issues: the
economy and inclusion. Atiku Abubakar has therefore earned my vote in
2019 and hopefully the votes of all well meaning Nigerians.
Abbiba Ivy Princewill has an LLB from King’s College London, an
LLM from the University of California, Los Angeles and an LPC from City
University London. She is passionate about STEM education, opportunities
for women and girls and youth participation in governance and
socio-economic life.
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