What Will Be The Hope Of Nigerians After February 25 Presidential Election?

Nigeria, a federal republic comprising of 36 states with Abuja as her Federal Capital Territory. Nigeria remains the most populous African Country, got her independence on October 1, 1960 and in 1963 adopted a republican constitution. Nigeria is among countries in Africa with a wide variety of different natural resources.

Nigeria adopted different system of government in the time past, Monarchical, Acephalous, Parliamentary, Military but presently, Nigeria practice the federal system of government, in this regard the head of state is also the head of government and there are three arms and tiers of government by which the country is being ruled.

Ever since Nigeria got her independent in 1960 the hope of Nigerians has been high to get a better life through a better country, a good standard of living through a standard economic. The hope of Nigerians is to live in a better country that will provide them with all that they will need as a citizen.

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However, to live in a better country will be determined by our leaders. The who and who in position of authority will determine the position the citizens will be.

The three prominents Nigerians contesting for Presidency seat in 2023 are; Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and Bola Hammed Tinubu.

Talking about Peter Gregory Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party, he was born at Onitsha in Anambra, a state located in the southeastern region of Nigeria.

He hails from Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra state.Obi is a Catholic Church Papal Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester.

Peter was born on the 19th of July, 1961. He is currently 61 years old but expected to be 62-year-old by July, 2023.

Peter Obi attended Christ the King College, Onitsha where obtained his West Africa Secondary School Certificate (WASC). He later gained admission into University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1980 and bagged Bachelor of Art (BA) in Philosophy in 1984.

Peter Obi attended Lagos business school, Nigeria where he did his Chief Executive Program. He also attended Harvard business school, Boston, USA, where he did two programs (Mid to Mid Marketing).

More so, Peter Obi is a businessman. He started his life as a trader, a path which is not surprising since he was born into a trading family.He later ventured into the corporate world and has served in numerous positions for different companies.

Peter Obi was elected governor of Anambra on March 17 2006, he was impeached 8 month after, on Nov 2,2006 by the state house of Assembly. Obi revealed that the reason why he was impeached was his refusal to inflate the government yearly budge.

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His impeachment was overturned on Feb 9, 2007 and he was reinstated as governor. The majority of his tenure was stolen by chris Ngige who had been governor for three years. Before a court declared that Obi was a rightful winner of the 2003 election. Obi was reappointed governor of Anambra on june 14 2007 after a court ruled that he should be allowed to complete his four years in office. The tenure ended in 2010 and he won his re- election campaign and served an additional term. He finally handed over to Willie Obiano in 2014.

Under Obi, Anambra State became the first state in Nigeria to start sub- saharan Africa. At a time many other Governors were leaving huge debts, Peter Obi stated that he left the equivalent of $500 million dollars in investments in Anambra state in both local and foreign currency, including some $156 million dollar – denominated bonds.

The Nigeria Debt Management Office (DMO) rated Anambra as the least indebted state in Nigeria. Peter Obi received praise for not borrowing to fund his project

The senate of the republic of Nigeria rated Anambra State as the most financially stable state in the country during his tenure.

Obi oversaw the returns of schools to their original missionary owners with the government continuing to cater to the schools’ staff salaries, while the missions were a super – efficient strategy as Anambra state rose from the 24th position out of 36 states to become number one in National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council ( WAEC) examinations for this three consecutive years. This move made the World Bank Commisional study led by the renowned prof Paul Collier of Oxford University in the state.

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An investigation by PREMIUM TIMES shown that Mr Obi is not entirely transparent in his affairs as he likes Nigerians to believe.

The investigation was part of the global International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)-led Pandora Papers project.

The project saw 600 journalists from 150 news organisations around the world poring through a trove of 11.9 million confidential files, contextualising information, tracking down sources and analysing public records and other documents.

leaked files were retrieved from some offshore services firms around the world that set up shell companies and other offshore entities for clients, many of them influential politicians, businesspersons and criminals, seeking to conceal their financial dealings.

The two-year collaboration has so far revealed the financial secrets of not less than 35 current and former world leaders, more than 330 public officials in more than 91 countries and territories.

Mr Obi is one of the individuals whose hidden business activities was thrown open by the project. Indeed, he has a number of secret business dealings and relationships that he has for years kept to his chest. These are businesses he clandestinely set up and operated overseas, including in notorious tax and secrecy havens in ways that breached Nigerian laws.

During his Interviews with premium,
He said he was unaware that the law expected him to declare assets or companies he jointly owns with his family members or anyone else.

Atiku Abubakar GCON (born 25 November 1946) People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate is a Nigerian politician and businessman who served as the Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo. Since the return to democracy, Abubakar has contested in all the elections.

In 1993, he contested the Social Democratic Party presidential primaries losing to Moshood Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe. He twice ran as Governor of Adamawa State in 1990 and later, in 1998, being elected before becoming Olusegun Obasanjo’s running mate during the 1999 presidential election and re-elected in 2003.

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He was a presidential candidate of the Action Congress in the 2007 presidential election. He contested the presidential primaries of the People’s Democratic Party for the 2011 presidential election losing to President Goodluck Jonathan

2014, Atiku joined the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2015 presidential election and contested the presidential primaries losing to Muhammadu Buhari. In 2017, he returned to the Peoples Democratic Party and was the party presidential candidate during the 2019 presidential election, again losing to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari

In his speeches and commentary, Abubakar is a vocal advocate of the importance of Nigeria’s educational system. He is also the founder of the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa. It was founded in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State as American University of Nigeria (AUN) by Abubakar in 2005.

In August 2014, Abubakar said in a statement : “Our country’s educational institutions are clearly not providing quality learning. Our teachers need to be taught. This situation is a new development—of the past 10 years or so. The steady decline of education in Nigeria is a reflection of our country’s relegation of education to the background of national essentialities. That is where the change must begin”.

Teachers are important—as important as senators and doctors. Indeed, teachers determine the quality of senators and doctors. And so, the entire country stands to suffer the effects of this neglect in future. Nigeria must once again make education a priority. We must return to the basics.?
In a bid to alleviate the educational decadence in the North East, Abubakar issued scholarships to 15 escapees of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping.

In 2011, while celebrating the 50th anniversary of the US Peace Corps in 2011, the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) – an independent 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organisation, separate from the Peace Corps, that serves as an alumni association for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers – honoured Abubakar with the Harris Wofford Global Citizen Award.
At the presentation of the award, the National Peace Corps Association described Abubakar as one individual who contributed to the development of higher education on the continent of Africa. “No private businessman in Africa has worked harder for democracy or contributed more to the progress of higher education than Atiku Abubakar,” the NPCA said.

This was after, in 2012, when Abubakar donated $750,000 to the National Peace Corps Association in the United States, “to fund a new initiative featuring global leaders who will discuss Peace Corps’s impact.” It was the largest ever individual donation in the Association’s history.

The occasion of his declaration for the presidency of Nigeria in the 2007 election, the Turakin Adamawa maintained that his coming into the presidential race was not for personal interests.

Between 1999—2003, while Obasanjo globe-trotted and gallivanted, Atiku was the de-facto President. He made himself stupendously rich. At that time, he was not of the ‘forgotten millions.’ He forgot them too. He was not thinking of the jobless. His children became directors of oil-servicing companies. He did not think of the hard-working middle-level income families. He made his friends and self upper class.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had all along been the Chief Executive of Nigeria, and benefited tremendously, while Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was the ceremonial head. This points to the fact that the reforms the nation is undergoing are purely the handwork of Atiku.

If Nigeria has failed in the past eight years, then the Vice President is responsible for this failure. Atiku should explain to Nigerians why he shattered our dreams of a great Nigeria. He was the custodian of the machinery for national development in the first years of this government, how did he utilise that? How was it channelled?

Did he remember then that it was a duty for and about ” uplifting the lives of the forgotten millions … who work very hard but get very little!…who have no work at all! … the enthronement of a more just and equitable society! … giving the people of Nigeria a government that they deserve – a government that puts their interests first! ” Or did he deliberately remain silent waiting for when he becomes the President?

Fellow citizens, if the Vice President has the powers to handle all the Federal Government dealings in the 36 states of the federation, including FCT Abuja, and chairs all the economic projects of the country, and appoints 7 out of 10 ministers, then he was the right man to have handled the cases of “… the forgotten millions”.

Atiku did not because he could not, together with his bunch of dormant ministers, directors and head of parastatals. When he was supposed to be doing this, he was busy strategising with them how to be recycled president in 2007. He then failed, Atiku failed woefully and today turns around to declare for change. Change from what? From the reforms you headed or change of persons like you, who are found incapable of handling national assignments?

If at all Nigeria desires the so called change you preach, Mr Vice President, you should be the first to be changed! As chairman for the transformation of the socio-economic landscape of Nigeria , what did you do? How well did you link the 36 states of the federation in terms of good roads, electricity, security of life and property, job creation etc? You championed the reforms of the nation, yet you cry for a change of them. How long shall you continue to lead us in a forward-backward match? We are tired of failed people! We want change, but certainly not your own kind of change.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu the presidential candidate for All Progressive Party( APC) is a native of Osun State. He came out of his mother’s loins, Abibatu Mogaji, on 29th March 1952. As of 2022, he’s 70 years old.

He started at St John’s primary school at Aroloya Lagos and continued at children’s home school in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria.

Ahmed is also known as “Jagaban”. He finished his secondary education abroad, where he attended Richard J. Daley College in Chicago, Illinois.

He completed his education at the state university of Chicago and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in accountancy. As well as with several significant honours in 1975.

Fast forward to when he started gaining footing in the Nigerian government. Ahmed Tinubu became a member of the Social Democratic Party, SDP In 1992.

As a result of his devotion and passion for politics, he joined the people’s front fraction. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua was the leader of the faction.

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Tinubu’s government, in 2000, contracted AES to build an IPP that will generate 270MW of electricity to Lagos residents in order to exit the irrational power supply being provided by the FG. The 270MW is now part of our national grid. It is the first of it’s Kind.

Tinubu electrification project covered over 100 communities. In his first term, 53 rural communities were targeted. The projects were completed in Egan, Atewolere, Ifesowapo, Aboru, Agbado Ayetoro, Akorede, Isheri Ikosi, Orile Aguntan, Rofo, Borokini, Omologbede, Araromi, Oke Agbo, Erekusu, Logberu, Okegelu and Ebute, Lekki. Others were Origanringan, Onigbolakowe, Oke odo Elemoro, Ipaja Isale odo, Agenuba, Ajelogo, Mutaku, Egansando, Ayanfe, topo and Ikola Agbenaje.

In order to bring governance closer to the people of Lagos state, Asiwaju created extra 36 LCDAs which led to the disagreement between Lagos and the OBJ led FG. They are still working till date. Nigeria needs someone who believes in this!First of it’s kind

With an IGR of just over 600million naira when he took over, different initiatives which included the reorganization of the LIRS led to an unprecedented IGR of over 7billion monthly after 8 years, the sustainability of which has brought same to 57bn in 2022.

Decentralization of the Health Management Board led to the creation of LASAMBUS, an ambulance management scheme, Hospital Services Commission and Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency. In addition, policies such as “Roll Back Malaria”, “Jigi Bola, Free Health Policy for children below 16 year and adults above 65 years are verifiable ones that stood him out then.

The closest thing to state policing started in Nigeria under Tinubu, with RRS in 1999. The prisons reformation in order to curb activities of criminals, led to conversion of Ita Oko Prisoners Camp to a Youth Skill Acquisition Centre. Infact RRS is now the most performing police force in Nigeria. To make things work, he created the Lagos security trust fund where private sector come together to invest in Lagos security in conjunction with the government.

LAWMA, LASEPA, LWC, PUMAU, LASECA. All formulated by Tinubu to tackle the issue of environmental decay in Lagos.

However, according to a report against Tinubu it was stated that; Tinubu has not only impoverished Lagosians, he made sure thousands of them are out of school so he can use them as hoodlums during elections.

For instance, how many “agberos” has he given free education or scholarship? Instead, he arms them with tools to mob opposition members, his critics and then imposes himself over the will of the people.

Tinubu deceptively claimed that Major-General Muhammadu Buhari would make heaven as a second home in Nigeria, but Buhari brought hell instead. Indeed, someone whose character is questionable in the US should never be trusted with a sensitive position in Nigeria, let alone becoming President! May it never happen!

Those who don’t believe in one Nigeria like Tinubu will do all sort of things to cause chaos in the country just to gain access to power. They will mobilise thugs to deal with people who kick against their political ambition. Tinubu is well-known as the grand patron of thugs in the entire South-West.

Many citizens were afraid of voting on the 25th of February, due to scarcity people are experiencing.

According to Mrs. Adegoke who spoke with Blaze Newz said” I am not voting for any candidates, the ones I voted for in the past, what does it make Nigeria to be”. She is getting worse”

Adebayo Ifeoluwa a student said, ” I am not voting .Those people will only be using us to achieve their aims and desires, after achieving their aims, they will forget all them”.

Mr. Wale also said” whether I vote or not they already know who will win,why disturbing myself”?

Hence, what will now be the hope of Nigerians after February 25? This will be determined by the citizens and the leaders because the collective spiritual moral, economic and, physical state of a nation is a reflection of the specie of its leadership.