LATEST UPDATE: Atiku's Presidential Intent Declaration Speech
TIME FOR CHANGE
Speech by Atiku Abubakar, GCON, former Vice President,
Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the occasion of his
Declaration of Intent to seek the Nomination of the All
Congress (APC) to
Presidential Election, at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.24
I welcome you all to this special gathering. I feel truly
honoured by your presence. That you could attend this
event despite the security and healthcare challenges
facing this country at the moment is all the more
gratifying. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
We are all here because we believe that our country can
be made better. We want to see Nigeria develop, prosper
and become the pride of Africa and the Black race. We
are here because we know that change must come and
that change will come because of you.
As I move around this country interacting with regular
Nigerians, I listen to their concerns about unfulfilled
frustrations
Yet I still
determination and hope on their faces.
In spite of the many challenges we face, it is quite
remarkable that our people have refused to give up on
inspiring that amidst
growing anxiety over the future of our country, our
refused to succumb
hopelessness. This never-say-die attitude gives
immense hope and it is one of the reasons why I can
never give up on Nigeria.
The glaring mismatch between our potentials and our
achievements has become for many a frustrating puzzle;
for others it is a topic for national debate; and yet for
doomsday
is
it
progressive and open-minded Nigerian, I consider it a
golden opportunity and a bittersweet chance to display
our courage, rekindle our innovative instinct, showcase
our character and turn the Nigerian dream into reality.
The future of Nigeria is represented here. Nigerians of
my generation, who work tireless to earn a living, striving
to make Nigeria a better place for themselves and their
families, and who are entitled to retire in comfort, are
here. Our youth are represented here. (Please join me in
giving three gbozaas for our youth: Gbozaa! Gbozaa!
Gbozaa!). You, the youth – endowed with fresh ideas,
bubbling energy and a passionate desire for change –
you are the hope of this nation.
can’t talk of a future with hope and confidence.
That is why the 2015 election is about you. It is about
how to ensure that you live safe and secured lives. It is
about making sure that you feed well, receive quality and
affordable education and training, secure good jobs,
support your own families and contribute positively to
country.
our
of
responsible government
citizens. This is what our generation owes upcoming
generations. This is what we must do to guarantee our
country’s future. This is what democracy promises. This
is what our party, the All Progressive Congress (APC),
Our party, the APC, at its inception in July 2013, offered a
great hope for many Nigerians as a potent alternative to
the ruling PDP. We have in our fold selfless leaders who
cherish democratic principles and practice and who
demonstrated their patriotism
Regardless of the loud and lavish political propaganda,
impunity and unjust
sanctions
and
patronage
let me assure
remains strong and capable of fulfilling the nation’s
thirst for change. And we shall do so united across
regions, religions and generations.
I am particularly proud that our party has adopted the
innovative Modified Open Primaries in selecting its flag
bearers at all levels. This will ensure the emergence of
candidates whose mandate will be informed
popular will of the members of our party.
Some people have argued for a generational shift to
younger leaders without much experience.
believe that it is the responsibility of my generation to
offer our political shoulders to the new generation to
improve their vision
horizon. It is this trans-generational collaboration and
partnership that represents the best model to create the
future that we desire and deserve. This is a well-tested
model; the future of this nation should never again be
subjected to leadership experimentation or learning on
similar to the story of many
generation. I was born in a southern Adamawa village to
a nomadic trader and his wife who was a farmer. I grew
up as a shepherd and a farm boy. I was the only child of
my parents. My father had to be imprisoned by Local
Council authorities before he could allow me to go to
At 11, I lost my father and my whole world fell apart. With
the help of my mother, other relatives and friends of my
myself up from this
despair. I faced the future with uncommon confidence,
hope and faith in God. I am where I am today because I
did not give up. I struggled to acquire a good education
because the opportunity was made available.
people never had a chance and their potentials were
never discovered and their contributions to national
development thus curtailed. I worry today that too many
of our young people who could have improved their lives
nation have
opportunities to do so.
In the 20 years that I spent in the Nigerian public service,
I built a solid reputation for myself as a diligent, honest,
innovative staff.
accomplished and fulfilled public servant. That is what
every Nigerian who had diligently served this country
not dehumanization,
politically active in
imagination was captured by a leader, Late Shehu Musa
Yar’Adua, who started with persistent determination and
diligence to construct bridges of understanding and love
divides
ethno-religious
society. He convinced all of us who were bold to defy the
status quo to participate in his noble passion. We were
convinced that it was the only way to preserve our
and establish a
national development.
death, we have continued with renewed vigour to pursue
My politics have always been guided by the enduring
values of fairness and justice, honesty of purpose, the
pursuit of excellence, selflessness and the love for my
country. These values also characterize my conduct in
As Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, I worked
closely with my boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo,
who is also a passionate defender of Nigerian unity. We
our country into
years
following
professionalized our armed forces; we embarked on
economic reforms
Economic Team, which I had the honour to chair. We
focused on macro-economic stability and transforming
critical areas such as banking, insurance, oil and gas,
telecommunication, pension and the Civil Service. We
created novel institutions that should lay the foundation
for good governance and accountability such as the
Bureau of Procurement (Due Process), Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), SERVICOM, whose
Golden rule is “Serve others as you would like to be
served.” Sadly, most of these institutions are now mere
shadows of themselves.
We also paid off nearly all of our foreign debt which was
crippling the country; we stabilized the exchange rate of
the naira as well as interest rates, and reduced inflation.
What needed to follow was for these macro-economic
gains to be further translated into improved welfare for
With the reforms in the telecommunications sector we
increased the number of functioning telephone lines
from 200,000 at the inception of our administration to
over 70 million by the time we left. Our reforms also led
in the market capitalization
Nigerian Stock Exchange from N400 billion to over N8
trillion by 2007 and to nearly N13 trillion by 2008.
We also handed over well-articulated master Plans for
the development of multi-modal transportation system,
the
for
contract
We also commenced the implementation of
the Gas to Power Master Plan, with a target of 26,000
megawatts of electricity expected to be delivered by
This is the story of the service of an administration,
proud to have been
achievements were made possible because of the vision,
dedication of
leadership is what it takes to make good things happen.
Did we resolve all of Nigeria’s challenges? Of course not!
But no one would say that there was leadership vacuum
or a lack of commitment, plan and execution.
We know the story today. Rather than continuing to pay
our borrowing
increasing even though the price of oil has consistently
been above $100 per barrel since the inception of the
current administration. The percentage of our budget
that is implemented has diminished significantly since
capital projects are poorly cash-backed.
A number of major manufacturers have divested from
Nigeria and relocated to neighbouring countries while
those that remain operate at far below their installed
poor
to
mainly
environment for doing business, and our ranking in
world competitiveness index have worsened. Therefore,
job opportunities for our teeming youth have become
harder to come by. We recall with sadness the avoidable
deaths of job seekers during the poorly organized so-
called Immigration Service recruitment exam just last
Up to this moment no
accountable for those needless deaths.
our
development,
mortality, and poverty and illiteracy levels continue to be
embarrassingly high. Thus, while countries such as
Ghana, Gabon and Botswana are classified by the UNDP
as being at the Medium Human Development Level,
grouped with those
Development Level.
This situation reinforces the urgent need for change. We
cannot continue down this path of national decline.
Resentment, disillusionment and hopelessness are the
emotions on which insecurity and disharmony thrive.
Our country is more divided today than at any other time
since the civil war. There is a disturbing rise in ethnic
nationalism and religious bigotry. This is promoting
social tension and mutual distrust amongst the people
of Nigeria. All over the country, there are daily breaches
of security resulting in loss of lives and properties.
and
kidnappings
continue to ravage many parts of the country. A bunch
of extremist insurgents are hoisting strange flags on
large areas of our territory that they claim to have
Unspeakable horrors
against our people
elements in the name of religion and other causes.
responsibility
a
the on-going
Nigerians. Unfortunately what we have is a serious
governance deficit. To put it bluntly, our country seems
to be on auto pilot with no one in charge.
We need a strong, dynamic, decisive, competent and
visionary leadership that can halt the current drift of the
ship of state, fight corruption, create jobs, rebuild our
social
provide
insecurity in a decisive, robust multi-pronged way. This
is the change we want and deserve and this is the
change the APC is primed to offer. And that is why I am a
proud member of this platform for change.
To fix Nigeria, an APC government will promote a new
socio-political order which will compel the leadership to
always balance power and authority with service and
I have been asked why I am always seeking to become
the president of this country. My passion for governance
is that of a man who wants to do more because there is
so much more to be done in fixing Nigeria. This passion
continues to grow as long as this government is not
really doing the fixing. I have what it takes to bring
people together and turn things around for the better.
Therefore, I want to play a leading role in the trans-
generational efforts to save this country and improve the
With the support of the millions of Nigerians desirous of
change and the hard work by all of us, the APC shall
form the next government of this great nation.
I have, therefore, decided that I will, along with other
respected leaders of our party, seek nomination as a
candidate of the APC to contest the Presidential election
I want to lead a government that will invest in its people
because people constitute the wealth of any nation. I
want to lead a government that will create “A Nigeria for
All”. A Nigeria that is not about North or South, Christian
or Muslim, but about a better tomorrow where every
secure, act with
assurance of the fulfilment of his or her aspirations.
government that will
a
governance with
nepotism, where
dedication are adequately rewarded.
I want to assemble the best brains in the land and
provide the political will and commitment so that jointly,
and with the cooperation of all of you, build a Nigeria of
Nigeria must rise to retake its leadership place in Africa and earn the respect of other nations. This places on us the responsibility of stewardship. It is the consciousness
responsibility
political adventures; and it is this call to serve that I have come to answer once again.
Nigeria must and will be great.
prayers, we will change this country for good. We will
create a country that will truly be the pride of the black
race. We will create a new Nigeria for all Nigerians.
Thank you and God bless Nigeria. from http://ift.tt/19pR9bQ
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