It is the season of politics and of promises. Nigerians are not averse to politicians, political parties, and their promises. Some promises are kept, others are not. But whether kept or not those promises will keep coming especially because Nigerians don’t punish politicians for unkept promises. The Nigerian Guild of Editors has decided to provide the environment for a healthy debate of ideas and topical issues to the politicians of all shades especially from the pack of 18 presidential candidates participating in the 2023 election. After all, one of them is Nigeria’s president in waiting.

Atiku Abubakar, Governor Udom Emmanuel (Chair, PCC) Governor Aminu Tambuwal (DG Campaign) and other dignitaries at the NGE parley

Wednesday. 16th November, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the presidential candidate of the PDP took the center stage and addressed the Guild of Editors on his policy document: My covenant with Nigeria. He spoke extempore as an author very familiar with his script. He explained the reasoning behind his thoughts which crystallized into the five-point agenda and how it will be implemented.

“I sat down to analyse the challenges facing Nigeria and what could be done to get out of it. I then developed this five-point agenda which I have called “My Covenant with Nigerians”. He summarized them into the unity of Nigeria which he said his goal is to restore Nigeria’s unity through equality, social justice, and cooperation among various people. Our country is threatened. Next is the security of life and property.

“If the country is united and peaceful, then we can focus on the economy. We can build a strong and prosperous economy, creating jobs and wealth as well as lifting millions out of poverty. I have been a consistent advocate of restructuring; with our unity and peaceful country, we can then give opportunity for people to develop at their own pace. And finally education. I even think education is the most important of the agenda because it is a pillar upon which the implementation of the others will rest”

He tried to make his audience feel at home by identifying with the city of Lagos:” I am a Lagosian as I started living in Lagos since 1969. I got married in Lagos. I was in Lagos when all the bridges and flyovers were built. Lagos was built in my presence. There’s no part of Lagos that I don’t know or lived in. In those days, I used to trek from Ikoyi to Brickfield Road, Ebute-meta to attend classes”.

The interaction was for about one and a half hours and only six questions were asked. They were on restructuring, reconciliation, affirmative action for women, security, his role as a unifier and how he would fix the economy.

As a soldier, well prepared before going to the battlefield, he answered all the questions confidently with explanations. He started from the last question which was on the economy. “I will continue from where we stopped when we were in power between 1999 and 2007. I will continue with the economic policies of liberalizing the economy, empowering the private sector, continue with privatization. I will get the private sector more involved. Government does not have money to invest in infrastructure and other developmental issues”

On uniting the country, he made reference to what happened in 1999 when there was national consensus that power should shift to the south and the two leading parties -the PDP and the Ad- had southerners as presidential candidates. This was the outcome of a 1994 national conference where it was agreed that power must go to the south. But after the election, PDP formed a government of national unity. The PDP will form a government of national unity under my presidency. I will bring in members of the opposition parties. A situation where all the 17 heads of security agencies come from the north is not acceptable. I won’t do that”.

On security: “We are going to put more booths on the ground by almost doubling the strength of our police force and look at other security agencies too. This, apart from improving our security situation will also reduce unemployment situation in the country, and when that happens, improve our economy.

On gender inclusion in his government especially with the 35 percent affirmative action: “PDP has always had the required number of women. We did that between 1999 and 2007” On the issue of reconciliation, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar said:” talks are ongoing. We are going to reconcile. It is a family issue, we are talking to ourselves and very soon, you will see the outcome” The PDP internecine has proven intractable so far with Governor Nyesom Wike leading a revolt with other governors, collectively known as the G-5 Governors.

On restructuring, he assured the Editors that he is not a new convert to the topic: “I have assembled a group of constitutional lawyers and requested a draft legislation which I will put on the table of the legislature once elected. Don’t forget there are three tiers of government, and each tier must agree on the nature of the restructuring. When we talk about devolution of powers, it must go with a measure of control of resources. But it has to be negotiated and agreed by all the parties involved.

The President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors Mr. Mustapha Isah said opportunity would be given to other candidates to address the forum.