Follow Us on Google
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Amid a worsening security crisis, African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential aspirant Mohammed Hayatu-Deen has said he would declare kidnapping syndicates and bandit groups terrorist organisations if elected president.
Hayatu-Deen also promised to pursue bandits and kidnapping financiers aggressively and strengthen regional security cooperation with neighbouring countries to make Nigeria safer.
The presidential hopeful, according to a statement by his media office, spoke at a Youth Town Hall meeting. He noted that “these are not second-term promises. These are Day One priorities.”
Hayatu-Deen, while promising to revamp the economy, noted that worsening unemployment, insecurity and the rising cost of living in the country amount to a theft of the future of young Nigerians.
According to him, “Jobs are not just economic policy. Jobs are a security policy. Every young Nigerian with a job is one less recruit for crime, extremism, banditry, and violence.”
The foremost banker, who urged youths across the country to mobilise ahead of the ADC presidential primary scheduled for May 25 and support him to emerge as the party’s candidate, noted that he is the only aspirant focused consistently on job creation, security and the future of young Nigerians.
He said: “Two-thirds of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 35. So whenever politicians talk about Nigeria’s future, they are talking about young Nigerians. And the painful truth is this: right now, the future of young Nigerians is being stolen.
“The problem has never been the young people of Nigeria. The problem has been leadership, leadership that failed to plan, leadership that failed to invest, leadership that normalised suffering and then told Nigerians this was simply how things are.”
He challenged the ADC to field “a fresh candidate” capable of defeating the ruling APC and restoring public confidence in governance.
“The ADC will decide whether it is truly serious about winning, whether it is prepared to offer Nigerians a real alternative, and whether it is ready to present a candidate who understands the pain people are living through every day.
“The only way to defeat a fatigued APC is with a fresh candidate. I am that candidate. I carry no baggage. I owe no political godfathers. I am not a product of factional wars,” he stated.
