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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has highlighted national security, devolution of power, job creation, youth empowerment among others as the top priority of his manifesto for the 2023 presidential election.
In the 80-page manifesto unveiled last Friday in Abuja, Tinubu promised to end petrol subsidy gulping trillions of naira annually, and tackle forex crisis hindering the economy if elected president.
The campaign policy document, titled “Renewed Hope: Action Plan for a Better Nigeria,” was unveiled at the State House Banquet Hall, alongside the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Aside from phasing out fuel subsidy, Tinubu also promised to accelerate full implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act and implement additional favourable policies to attract investment in deepwater assets within six months.
The APC presidential candidate noted that his objective is to restore a renewed hope for Nigeria based on shared prosperity, tolerance, compassion, and the unwavering commitment to treating each citizen with equal respect and due regard.
“I will ensure the stability of petroleum product supply by fully deregulating the downstream sector and ensuring that local refinery capacity will meet domestic consumption needs.
“We shall phase out the fuel subsidy yet maintain the underlying social contract between government and the people. We do this by dedicating the money that would have been used on the subsidy to fund targeted infrastructural, agricultural and social welfare programmes ranging from road construction to boreholes, public transportation subsidies, education and healthcare funding programmes.
“In this way, the funds are more directly and better utilised to address urgent social and economic needs. Our planned approach will not only mitigate the price effects of deregulation but will also result in the significant expansion of public infrastructure and improvement of public well-being.
“Subsidy removal and deregulation are, however, only part of the solution. To further increase our refining capacity, we shall focus on the rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries and shall consider, as a model, the joint venture partnership arrangements implemented by other leading oil-producing states and global petrochemical firms,” he said.
On forex crisis hindering the economy, he said: “The recent dip in our exchange rate is primarily due to global supply and production shortfalls caused by global factors well beyond the scope of our control. Our diminished levels of oil production and the modest capacity of our manufacturing sector to expand production both serve to compound the pressure on the naira.
“Further compounding our difficulty is the fact that we are tied to an ineffective regime of multiple, somewhat arbitrary, exchange rates. This situation gives rise to financial dislocation, currency speculation and arbitrage. These practices divert much-needed funds away from productive endeavours that could employ hundreds of thousands of people and create products that improve average living conditions.
“To ensure that exchange rate policy harmonises with our goals of optimal growth and job creation driven by industrial, agricultural and infrastructural expansion, we will work with the Central Bank and the financial sector to carefully review and better optimise the exchange rate regime. Our economic policies shall be guided by our desire for a stronger, more stable naira founded upon a vibrant and productive real economy.”
In the document, Tinubu promised to establish a highly trained and disciplined anti-terrorist squad to tackle insecurity in the country.
He also assured that the Police would be repositioned to deliver on its primary duties of community policing and maintaining law and order through crime fighting and prevention.
“Military units will be better equipped with tactical communications gear and new vehicles to give them a greater communications and mobility advantage over criminals, bandits and terrorists,” he said.
He added his government would implement measures to eliminate attacks on vital national infrastructure, saying this would be known as Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Plan.
Tinubu further said his administration will review the revenue-sharing formula among the three tiers of government.He said that the existing arrangement has been problematic because “state governments are closer to the people and must be more responsive to local needs and aspirations.”
To address the imbalance, the former governor of Lagos State said his administration will embark on a review of the federation revenue allocation system to recalibrate the division of funds amongst the three tiers of Government- Federal, State and Local.
“More funds should be allocated to the States and Local Governments so that they can better address local concerns and fulfil their expanded constitutional obligations to the people,” he said.
The APC candidate said that his government will work with the National Assembly to review the existing exclusive legislative list and give more responsibilities to states and local governments.
He said the focus areas will include, crime prevention, prisons, stamp duties and certain forms of taxation.
According to the former Lagos State Government, the actions will “promote stronger governance at the state and local level, thus reducing political congestion and competition for resources at the federal level.”
“The performance of federal, state and local governments shall improve while the people will benefit by having more political democracy and economic development more closely at hand,” he added.
The manifesto indicated that integral to this efforts would be the deployment of modern technologies, tools and equipment to end crude oil theft, prevent vandalism of national assets and reduce, to the barest minimum, environmental pollution of the Niger Delta.
The 10 highlights of the APC presidential candidate’s manifesto are:
1.Build a Nigeria, especially for the youth, where sufficient jobs with decent wages create a better life
2. Manufacture, create, and invent more of the goods and services Nigerians require. Nigeria shall be known as a nation of creators, not just of consumers
3. Export more and import less, strengthening both the naira and way of life
4. Continue assisting farmers, through enlightened agricultural policy that promotes productivity and assures decent incomes, so that farmers can support their families and feed the nation
5. Modernise and expand public infrastructure so that the rest of the economy can grow at an optimal rate
6. Embolden and support young people and women by harnessing emerging sectors such as the digital economy, entertainment and culture, tourism and others to build the Nigeria of tomorrow, today
7. Train and give economic opportunity to the poorest and most vulnerable among Nigerians. We seek a Nigeria where no parent is compelled to send a child to bed hungry, worried whether tomorrow shall bring food
8. Generate, transmit and distribute sufficient, affordable electricity to give people the requisite power to enlighten their lives, their homes, and their very dreams
9. Make basic healthcare, education, and housing accessible and affordable for all
10. Establish a bold and assertive policy that will create a strong yet adaptive national security architecture and action to obliterate terror, kidnapping, banditry, and all other forms of violent extremism from the face of the nation.