Politics

2023: What I will do as Nigeria’s President – Saraki

Saraki

By Tunde Opalana

A Presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Bukola Saraki in Abuja on Thursday informed Nigerians of what he will do differently if he becomes Nigeria’s next president.

The former Senate President promised to fix the nation’s ailing economy, improve on the threatened security architecture and solve other problems confronting the country.

Saraki at a media breakfast in Abuja, assured that he has all what it takes to
save the country from imminent collapse and put her back on track of development .

He told media executives that “2023, therefore, presents us with a great moment of decision: the moment to choose hope over hopelessness; the moment to choose peace and security over fear and terror; the moment to choose unity and inclusion over division and exclusion; the moment that we draw a bold line in the sands of history and say, no more, and then move ahead as one people, as one nation, towards our God-assigned destiny as the greatest black nation on the face of the earth”.

“As Senate President, I defended the integrity of the National Assembly, sometimes, at great personal cost. And even in the face of daunting challenges and conspiracies, we passed important legislation to make legitimate business easier in our country, and to support enterprise, he added.

He assured that if elected President in 2023, he will rediscover Nigeria and make it even greater for generations yet unborn, expressed hope that this Nigeria is still possible in our lifetime.

He said “You may also ask; how long would it take to solve all these problems? I agree, that the problems that we face are so many and so daunting that we may not solve them all in the lifetime of a presidency or even in our lifetime. But that is not the point. The point is not whether we would be able to solve all the problems; or whether I possess a magic wand that will turn our country into a paradise overnight”.

“As long as there is a child in Nigeria that cannot read or write, then the job is not done, so dor that one child he wants to run for President, to ensure that the law on compulsory basic education is enforced and quality of teaching improves in all public schools.

“As long as there is an old woman in this country who cannot afford her prescription drugs for diabetes or malaria because she has no insurance coverage, the job is not done. And it is for this woman that I want to run for President because I will ensure that people like her are covered; and that we can push our compulsory health insurance coverage from the current 7 per cent to 50 per cent in the first two years, DailyTimes gathered.

“As long as a single village or forest in this country is controlled by terrorists, or bandits or any other criminal groups; as long as any of our citizens lives in fear; as long as our soldiers and other security agents do not get the right training, the right equipment and the right incentives, the job is not done. And it is for these citizens that I want to be President because I will do everything to protect the lives and properties of every Nigerian and everyone that live within our borders.

READ ALSO: Leaders who cannot protect lives have no business…

“I will ensure that all our men and women in uniform are well-trained, are well-paid and are well-equipped.

“As long as crude oil revenue remains the mainstay of our economy, and we remain so vulnerable to the volatility of the international oil market, then the job is not done. And this is why I want to be President because I will raise the revenue from the non-oil sectors to the same level as we currently earn from oil.

“As long as 65 million of our citizens still live in slum conditions in our cities and urban centres, then the job is not done. And this is why I want to be President because I will deliver half a million affordable housing units every year to our low-income earners and eliminate urban slums.

“As long as our university lecturers still have reasons to embark on strike actions; as long our universities still rank outside the top 1000 in the world, then our job is not done. And this is why I want to be President, because I will ensure that our universities and higher education institutions are competitive and well-funded, adopting models and approaches that have served the most successful higher education systems in the world”.

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Ihesiulo Grace

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