If elected, Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the upcoming general elections, has promised to lead Nigeria out of darkness by stimulating growth, creating jobs, and fighting hunger.
The former vice president made the pledge at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Private Sector Economic Forum on the 2023 Presidential Election, which was held on Tuesday in Commerce House, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Dr Michael Olawale Cole, President of the Chamber, warmly welcomed the participants and enumerated the status of the LCCI, which was founded in 1888 as the foremost Chamber of Commerce and Industry in West Africa, representing over 70% of private sector organizations in Nigeria.
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According to the President, “while the Chamber is non-partisan, we are interested in the economic agendas of the candidates and their plans to make Nigeria a better place in the next dispensation.”
He stated that members of the LCCI wish to contribute to the establishment of a new economic order that will lift the Nigerian economy out of the doldrums and emphasized the importance of the gathering in order to fashion out new policy directions, institutional reforms, and sound governance as critical elements toward the establishment of a new economic order in Nigeria.
In his presentation titled “Nigeria dresses in borrowed robes,” PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar took the opportunity to thank the President and members of the Chamber for convening such an intellectual gathering where germane issues affecting the growth of the country could be discussed.
He expressed how at ease he felt in the presence of captains of industry, entrepreneurs, and businessmen and women, and how, as a private sector person, it felt like a homecoming, which he simply defined as a meeting of like minds.
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In times of uncertainty, Atiku stated that it is the hallmark of leadership for business and political actors to pause and anticipate before taking the next steps.
He maintained that “our actions today will have consequences on our tomorrow and the day after.”
The former vice president charged the audience to take stock of the assets of the present day government (if there are any) and liabilities (which will be huge) and take a position as the 2023 polls draw near.
In his words, “it is also your responsibility to interrogate those who aspire to govern the country by assessing their understanding of the environment, their policy priorities and their strategies for dealing with a plethora of local and national issues from the mundane to the most complex”.
Atiku warned Nigerians not to allow political slogans to take the place of development plan; “hence political propaganda on facebook, tweeter and Instagram is never a substitute for proper socio-economic and political agenda. He maintained that the private sector remains the key to any government’s development agenda and any administration that wants to succeed must always listen to them.”
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He emphasized that the first of three key principles of his economic growth and development agenda for Nigeria is private sector leadership in driving growth.
The former vice president gave a detailed presentation on why the Nigerian economy is crawling rather than growing, emphasizing that “our people are not working” under the current administration.
He enumerated clearly that “more Nigerians are poorer and more miserable today than in 2015, with high capital flight which he summarized by saying that Nigeria is being dressed in borrowed robes.”
Atiku stated that these economic challenges have persisted “because the APC-led government indulges in a policy of blaming the opposition and external factors for Nigeria’s economic woes; hence an unprepared leadership fails to anticipate impending crisis and is always slow to react.”
He stated, however, that the evidence is overwhelming that the country’s underperformance is largely attributable to leadership failures in state management.
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After identifying the key indices impeding the nation’s economic and socio-political growth, Atiku emphasized the importance of a warm handshake with the private sector, as a strong productive and pro-growth private sector is required to create wealth, generate employment opportunities, and aid in the fight against poverty.
If he is elected President of Nigeria, he has promised to do things differently by empowering the private sector to drive growth.
Atiku promised to forge strong partnerships in the fight against poverty by investing in infrastructure, creating jobs, and increasing income.
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