Kwankwaso’s Contract with Nigerians
Juliet Akoje x-rays the agenda of the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, as his electioneering campaign heats up
The Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, (NNPP) Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has made public his manifesto as he begins electioneering campaign across the country.
Kwankwaso, who is contesting against three frontline candidates namely All Progressives Congress’ Bola Tinubu, Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, had stated that the kind of leadership he would provide the nation, if elected in 2023, would be totally different from what the other political parties had offered.
The 3rd Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso colloquium and unveiling of the Blueprint of the NNPP presidential candidate, was a two-day event organised by the Kwankwasiyya Development Foundation in Abuja recently to mark his 66th birthday.
On the first day of the event, Kwankwaso reeled out the humanitarian achievements of the foundation, especially in the area of education, revealing that he had to sell some of his properties to provide both local and overseas scholarships to students in Africa.
On day two of the event which was tagged “unveiling of the Blueprint”, Kwankwaso while speaking on his agenda pledged that he will provide Nigerians with patriotic and competent leadership that is guided by the seven time-tested principles of public life.
The principles according to him, include Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty, and Leadership-by-Example.
PEACE, SECURITY AND UNITY
The presidential candidate while reassuring Nigerians on Peace, Security and Unity (Human Security) said “conscious of the provision of Section 14:2[b] of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, we will secure the entire country, ensure peace and peaceful coexistence reign, and work deliberately to strengthen the bond of unity amongst Nigerians of all backgrounds”.
REVAMPING THE ECONOMY
Amid depreciating currency, surging inflation which is pushing millions of Nigerians into poverty, Kwankwaso stated that “we have an economic plan that is centred around you and your family.
“We shall improve the income level and strengthen the purchasing power of every Nigerian citizen. Our Nigerian Economic Revamping Strategy has a three-deck implementation scheme: Stage 1: Emergency Rescue Plan (ERP) Stage Il: Targeted Stimulation/Job Creation Stage Ill: Long-term and Sustainable Investment.”
QUALITY EDUCATION
On education, the former Kano state governor said it is widely accepted as a leading instrument for promoting economic growth.
According to him: “Education is a public good. We shall ensure, through the correct reforms and investment, that all our schools provide the appropriate quality education to our citizens. Access, quality and productivity shall be the cornerstones of our education reform.
“Rather than establishing new public tertiary education institutions (TEls), our administration will first focus on upgrading, rehabilitating and expanding the existing ones to the level of global competitiveness”.
MODERNIZED HEALTHCARE
On health care, the NNPP flag bearer said “healthcare service is a public good” while promising Nigerians that his administration will be committed to ensuring that “our healthcare system is positively overhauled to ensure humane, effective, efficient, and qualitative service. Saving lives and building a healthy citizenry shall be the priority of all our healthcare institutions because health is wealth”.
OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
The presidential candidate promised that if elected, more jobs will be created at multiple levels through the Economic Revamping Strategy as well as through the constructive engagement with the youth by honing their skill sets and providing them with necessary support.
ENERGY AND POWER
Kwankwaso while noting that energy and power are the backbone and the central nervous system of the economy, said he is conscious of the fact that growth will be stunted and development will be paralyzed if these two economic pillars are not adequately and sustainably provided.
He promised to deploy his energy and power masterplan that is aimed at ensuring availability, adequacy, sustainability, affordability, and safety.
POVERTY ELIMINATION
On poverty alleviation, Kwankwaso promised to lift Nigerians from the poverty ditch through targeted poverty alleviation and poverty elimination strategies that ensure families at the bottom of the social ladder have access to food, clothing, quality education, basic healthcare and basic housing needs.
According to him, “preventing those lifted out of poverty from returning into the poverty bracket will receive special attention from my administration.
“Specifically, we shall ensure that beneficiaries of our poverty elimination programs maintain good-paying vacation, high-yielding investment as well as strategic savings to ensure individual, family and community prosperity”.
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
He further promised Balanced Regional Development [Critical Infrastructure] and that the development of the country must be comprehensive, all-inclusive and evenly distributed across the length and breadth of the country.
“The provision of critical infrastructure that supports development and the wellbeing of the people shall be in every region and every state of the Federation. Every injustice, real or perceived, must be tackled and eliminated”, he said
LAW AND ORDER
On maintaining law and order, Kwankwaso said, “lawlessness leads to anarchy. We shall ensure that our country is guided and governed by the rule of law: recognizing that sovereignty belongs to the people, upholding the principle that all are equal before the law, and integrating the rule of law with the rule of virtue”.
DEEPENING DEMOCRACY
The NNPP standard bearer also promised to support all democratic institutions to ensure the continuous growth and maturity of Nigeria’s political system, establish political order, accelerate national development, and maintain national stability.
“We shall put in place, at all the 8,809 political wards of the country, Community Participation and Reorientation Committees (CPRC) to compliment government efforts and ensure community involvement in governance. This will be a scale up version of its successful experimentation for eight years in Kano State during the time of RMK”, he said.
AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION AND FOOD SECURITY
The presidential candidate also pledged to revolutionize the farming practices by investing in technology, training and extension work with the objective of attaining national food security as well as capturing substantial market share of food in the African continent.
“We pledge to ensure the deployment of global best practices in establishment and management of forestry, plantation, animal husbandry, livestock, poultry and fisheries as well as guarantee an agriculture value chain that protects the farmers, the livestock owners as well as the consumers”, Kwankwaso said
TO RID NATION OF ILLICIT, FAKE AND COUNTERFEIT DRUGS
He pledged that his administration will work decisively and systematically to end the menace of substance abuse, the proliferation of fake and counterfeit drugs as well as end the smuggling and circulation of illicit drugs in the country.
The candidate added that he will establish reformatories/sanatoria in each geopolitical zone to mitigate against the effects of drug abuse/addiction.
ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Kwankwaso promised to work assiduously to combat climate change and its negative impact such as flood, erosion, desertification etc.
According to him: “We will work to improve the conditions and, preserve the natural beauty, of the environment. We shall beautify our cities and ensure the creation of parks and gardens as well as green belts across the country. We shall ensure the preservation of the natural flora and fauna of our country and work deliberately to save all endangered species”.
