Follow Us on Google
By Sunkanmi Olaoluwa
As the presidential election day draws nearer, it is necessary to remind Nigerians that only the candidate with a clear cut governance plans can deliver the country from the myriads of problems it is facing currently.
Although, all three major candidates in the coming election have impressive economic background and understanding of the country’s economic terrains. However, only Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has visibly demonstrated how he will rescue the country from its challenges if elected. Of all these candidates, the former vice president of Nigeria has the best and the most pragmatic manifesto that is available for the public’s perusal. The county’s challenges is a common knowledge to all the candidates, but having the solutions to these challenges is privy to only Atiku Abubakar and he has spelt out these solutions in his 5-point development policy document entitled: “My Covenant With Nigerians”.
Knowing the way around the prevailing economic crisis in the country is not the same as knowing the way out of it. It is not also a call to brandish statistical and economic data and figures without also providing the solutions to the identified problems. Nigerians must not be cajoled by the unfounded data and figures desperate politicians dish out daily to score cheap political points. As the elections loom, Nigerians must jettison the talkative candidates and pitch their tents with a workaholic leader who knows the way around and out of the country’s economic downturns.
At the root of every prosperous state is a sustained human capital development. No country has ever achieved economic prosperity without recourse to human capital development. It is the vehicle that drives economic growth in every society. As contained in the Atiku plans, his government will prioritize human capital development of Nigeria’s economic development strategy by focusing on three critical pillars of promoting research in science and technology through the establishment of a national and innovation funds; increasing investment to enhance youths access to opportunities in education including vocational and technical education, job creation and entrepreneurship development programmes; fostering a robust healthcare system that is comprehensive, qualitative and affordable.
Currently, Nigeria is classified as a low income country with low human development index of 0.539. The country has struggled to realize only 54 per cent of its human development potential, lagging significantly behind Republic of South Korea (0.916) and Turkey (0.820). The rate of unemployment in the country is at all time highest now. Not fewer than 33 per cent of Nigeria’s population is unemployed while another 23 per cent of Nigerians are underemployed. These ugly reports are indicative of underutilization of human and natural resources that are abundantly available in the country.
Atiku’s government will create three million jobs annually to get Nigerians meeting their needs and contributing to the country’s GDP. All embracing special social interventions will be established to support the poor, the marginalized and vulnerable groups including people with physical disabilities and special needs; as well as bridge the gender spatial gaps that exist in education and health.
The micro small and medium enterprises will be strengthened by business friendly policies that will all identified impediments to their growths and ensuring that they have strong linkage with the productive sector of the economy. This will be undergirded by making handy the formalization processes of MSMEs including special fiscal incentives for registration, simplification of the registration process and less burdensome tax filing requirements.
Presently, Nigeria is heavily reliant on imported goods. Billions of dollars from the country’s accrued revenues is spent annually on the importation of commodities that can easily be produced in the country. But due to insensitivity and the sheer lack of political will to revamp the manufacturing sector of the economy, successive governments have recoursed to imported goods at the expense of our local manufacturing industry. Howbeit, the narrative will be changed with Atiku Abubakar at the helm of affairs. His aim is to achieve a sustained increase in production and manufacturing output from the extant 9% to 30 per cent of GDP by 2025; reduce the sector dependence of imported raw materials, looking inward to promote value addition. These will be achieved by giving with speed, all the necessary approvals needed for the creation of new businesses such as land acquisition, property registration and ensuring that construction permits are simplified and streamlined. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Chambers of Commerce and other relevant stakeholders in the manufacturing sector will be closely worked with to identify ways to tackle incidences of multiple taxation and improve the availability of foreign materials for legitimate production.
His penchant is to build a country where our people could live and work in a safe environment that guarantees the highest level of economic and social empowerment. Atiku Abubakar means business. He is ready to give all it takes to create a viable environment for Nigerians to pursue their dreams and aspirations. He has demonstrated his capacity to achieve economic prosperity as an entrepreneur, educationist cum politician. His plea is that Nigerians give him the opportunity to replicate same feats as the country’s President.
• Olaoluwa writes from Osogbo
