Peter Obi’s Pact with Nigerians

Omameh Gabriel writes that the presidential flagbearer of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has made public his manifesto as he gears up for his electioneering campaign

The presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, who is vying against experienced politicians like All Progressives Congress’ Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar and New Nigeria Peoples Party’s

Rabiu Kwankwaso, last week released his manifesto by offering a new brand of transformative and purposeful leadership.

He said the overall goal of his government will be to cut cost of governance; make it more responsive, transformative, effective, less transactional, and therefore efficient.

Obi who has constantly hinted on a new style of governance of social contract with the people, titled the manifesto: Prospect of a Transformative Governance in Nigeria, which he said his leadership will be anchored on.

The policy document seems to have derived its ingredients from the Labour Party’s stance to shift from old ways of governance to a system that allows the people to be more involved in running the system and leaders more responsive and accountable to the people through effective engagements.

In the document, Obi emphasised on the country’s need for serious leadership that is imbued with competence, capacity, credibility and commitment to strike a strategic balance that allows the  promotion and protection of “national interest, while meeting our ECOWAS obligations”.

He said: “We will rebuild Nigeria’s military power, promote economic growth, and enhance its technological prowess with a view to improving Nigeria’s diplomatic influence in sub-regional, regional and global affairs.

“Restoring leadership will require that we reassert proactively, Nigeria’s leadership role in African affairs through constructive engagement, peacekeeping duties, and using existing sub-regional and regional forums as well as bilateral platforms for dialogue on current and emerging challenges. We will continue to enhance our sphere of influence via peacekeeping, and trade and investment initiatives.

On resource control, Obi said his government will ensure that in moving Nigeria forward, no state or community will be left behind.

“Pursuant to its statutory responsibility to protect, our Government will promote equity in power and resource sharing. The federating units will enjoy discernible autonomy. Resources will also be shared equitably. A higher derivation paid to oil or solid minerals producing states will not be tantamount to other states not receiving federal allocations that should keep them viable. We must transcend the rhetoric that bedevils a robust debate on some of these national questions.

“We will respect the principles of federal character, affirmative action and gender balance; but no longer at the expense of merit”.

On security, the presidential flagbearer promised reform that will tweak the security architecture, entail reform of the security sector and governance. He said this will be made easier by integrating the activities of the National Intelligence and Security Agencies by establishing a central reporting intelligence loop under the authority of the Minister of National & Homeland Security

According to him: “We will Restructure, Re-equip and Reorient the Nigerian Police: This will include three level policing- Federal, state and community.

“We will build a Compact, Robust and Ready Mobile Police Force with Rapid Response Deployment capabilities; and Legislate the Establishment of State Police based on Community policing. We will raise the population to police officer ratio to a higher level.

“A properly manned, equipped and technologically driven security system with particular emphasis on re-focusing the military on external threats and border protection and police on internal security threats and law enforcement; swift prosecution of criminals, bandits and terrorists; enhanced coordination among security agencies; and upholding the rule of law.

“Integrate the activities of the National Intelligence and Security Agencies by establishing a Central Reporting Intelligence loop under the authority the Minister of National & Homeland Security.

“Establish a National Command and Control Coordination Center for the efficient management of actionable intelligence, resource allocation and force deployment. Membership should consist of representatives of all security agencies on a need to know basis.

“The oil theft is not petty pilfering. It is organized crime by a syndicate that involves a certain degree of sophisticated intelligence and logistical arrangement. We must admit that oil theft is happening because there is domestic and external collusion. The government and the people have the collective responsibility to protect national assets. On my watch those responsibilities will be accorded high priority.

“Foreign and National Security policy initiatives, might in the long term entail rebuilding, repositioning and sustaining ECOMOG, as the arrowhead of a West African Security partnership. This is to counter terrorist threats and international subversion of the sovereignty of the West African region of which Nigeria must re-establish her place as a regional power.

On direct foreign investment and the pressure on naira, employment and corruption, he said alternative measure like Diaspora Remittances will be key to explore ways of cushioning the forex demands by mainstreaming those components of Diaspora remittances that remain opaque and informal.

“We are challenged by high youth unemployment, which stands at 33.3%; 54% for the youth; and 20 million out-of-school-children. We must give this country back to the Nigerian youths. Half of our 200 million people are below the age of 30.

“Harnessing our national youth strength and demographic dividends intelligently, must start with curbing the high youth unemployment and creating funding access to enable our youths become entrepreneurs and drivers of our Small and Medium Scale enterprises (SMEs).

“We will have zero tolerance for corruption; block leakages and cut the cost of governance. Our total commitment to transparency and accountability in government business is the only credible way to achieve limited to zero corruption.

“We will enforce the legal framework protecting foreign investors and their indigenous partners. This is the only way to tamper monopoly and capital flight.

“As governor of Anambra State, my administration achieved close to a 60-40 gender balance in appointive and elective positions. The national target has hovered around 30-35%. We intend to progressively aim for between 35-40%, with aggressive gender mainstreaming action plan and rigid benchmarks.

Obi further explained his plans for monitary policy and food security, which he said are key to normalise the country’s exchange rate that has continued to nose dive in the last couple of months.

He said: “As part of our monetary policy, we will seek to re-establish the independence of the CBN; and commit to a credible and transparent plan to normalize the exchange rate and bring inflation to single digits.

“We will remove import and forex restrictions and insist on a single forex market. The current system penalizes exporters who bring in forex by forcing them to sell at a rate that they are unable to source for forex when they need to purchase forex. This multiple exchange rate regime encourages capital flight and deters investment, which has further worsened Nigeria’s forex situation.

“My top priorities on getting into office: Production-centered growth for food security and export; Securing and Uniting Nigeria; Effective legal and institutional reforms (rule of law, corruption and government effectiveness); Leapfrogging Nigeria from oil to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR); Expanding physical infrastructure through market-driven reforms (unleashing growth-enabling entrepreneurship and market-creating innovations); Human capital development that empowers competitiveness; and Robust foreign policy that restores Nigeria’s strategic relevance.

“We are spending more on recurrent expenses. And we are borrowing frivolously. I am not against loans per se; but we must stop borrowing for consumption.  All loans must be invested in regenerative projects. We must operate within available resources and strive for a balanced national budget as cost saving measures. Ending the leakages including the subsidy regime and improving our tax regime should do the magic.

The two-time former governor of Anambra State concluded by saying “lack of political will and lack of synergy between the Executive and Legislative arms has resulted in a costly inertia in tackling our oversized government.

“The result is persisting turf fights and competition among several overlapping agencies, and the resultant wastages. Cost-cutting measures must start with rationalization and harmonization. Pruning the size of government will be imperative”.

Before now, the National Chairman of Labour party, Julius Abure, has vowed not  to leave the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi and other candidates of the party to their whims and caprices if they get elected into office in 2023.

Abure in a recent statement vowed that members of the party will join in the revolt against Obi and the other candidates if they decided not to abide by the wishes of the electorate when elected.

According to him: “If they form a government and decide not to do what the people want, we will abandon them and join the people to fight them. We are going to have a paradigm shift in the manner and ways politics is played in Nigeria. We are going to provide leadership by example”.