General Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, has promised never to leave the security of Nigerians in the hands of hunters, children and civilian JTF.
This is according to his 18-pages manifesto titled: Securing Nigeria’s Future
“We will therefore work with the National Assembly to set and revise, when needed, boundaries of operations, for Federal, State, and Local Government policing units, through new Criminal Justice legislation to replace the Criminal Code, the Penal Code and the Police Act.
We will push for more robust support in the Security and Economic stability of the West-African sub region and African Continent as a whole. We will seek and maintain close and frank relationship with ALL of West Africa; Special relationship with South Africa and its Sub-region, the rest of Africa; the UK, USA, Canada,EU, Asia, and the Middle East,” he said.
On the Economy, Buhari promises to maintain sound micro and macro economic policy environment, and run an efficient government and preserve the independence of the Central Bank; restore financial confidence in the citizens and the world, by putting in place a more robust monitoring, supervising, and regulating of the financial institutions.
“We will make our economy one of the fastest growing emerging economies in the world with a real GDP growth averaging at least 10-12% annually,” the document revealed.
He promises to tackle unemployment via vocational training, entrepreneurial and skills acquisition schemes for graduates along with the creation of a Small Business Loan Guarantee Scheme to create at least 5 million new jobs by 2019.
“A Small and Medium Enterprises Development Commission will be created for this purpose. We will also encourage State Governments to focus on employment creation, by matching every one job created in the same state Integrate the informal economy into the mainstream and prioritize the full implementation of the National Identification Scheme to generate the relevant data; expand domestic demand and undertake associated public works programmes to achieve this goal; embark on export and production diversification including investment in infrastructure; promote manufacturing and transformation, through Agro Based industries; and expand and promote sub regional trade through ECOWAS and the AU; create an additional middleclass of at least 4 million new home owners by 2019 by enacting national mortgage single digit interest rates for purchase of owner occupier houses as well as review the collateral qualification to make funding for home ownership easier, with 15 to 30 year mortgage terms”.
The document added that the administration of Buhari/Osibanjo will create a Social Welfare Program of at least Five Thousand Naira (N5000) that will cater for the 25 million poorest and most vulnera ble citizens upon the demonstration of children’s enrolment in school and evidence of immunisation to help promote family stability. There will also be provision of One Meal a day for all Primary school pupils.
On Education, Buhari pledeges to implement a performance based education system, predicated on outcomes, skills, and competences as against the current certificate based qualification; fully review provisions of the Universal Basic Education Act with emphasis on gender equity in primary, secondary school enrolment whilst improving the quality and substance of our schools, through outcome based education.
“Targeting up to 20% of our annual budget for this critical sector whilst making substantial investments in training quality teachers at all levels of the educational system; enhance teacher training and improve the competence of teachers in the light of the 21st; develop and promote effective use of innovative teaching methods/materials in our schools; establish at least six new universities of Science and Technology with satellite campuses in various states”.
The document noted that the administration will generate, transmit and distribute electricity on a 24/7 basis whilst simultaneously ensuring the development of sustainable/renewable energy, by 2019.
The presidential hopeful also vow to address the infrastucture decay in the country, boost agriculture, revive the oil and gas industry; makes the health sector works among other pledges.
In the preamble of the document Buhari opined, “over fifty years of independence and despite our vast wealth–abundant natural and human resources, at home and abroad, we as a nation continue to struggle with the most basic needs (food, shelter, water, security sanitation, and electricity, etc). As a nation, we are paralyzed by wide spread poverty, endemic institutionalised corruption; high levels of unemployment; a near total collapse of our educational system and facilities, collapse and decaying health and ineffective social services systems, chaotic transportation and communications systems; and other basic but essential infrastructure; less than adequate institutions of government at all levels, resulting to break down of law and order, institutionalized insecurity to life and property; and weak, fragile and unstable economy, with non-functional financial institutions, etc.
Nigerians of goodwill, are angered by failures of corrupt and poor leadership. They are frustrated by economic policies that did not deliver on its promises. Nigerians are therefore impatient and want
To regain their lost rights. Nigerians are worn out by conflicts, all over the country.
Nigerians are now striving for a fresh start.
I, Muhammadu Buhari have now come to the rescue. This is success by design. It will overcome our failure by design matrix”. -Vanguard
