Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for the 2023 general election and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed have released a seven-point manifesto on what they would do to salvage the country if elected.
Tagged ‘Our Pact with Nigeria’, the 48-page policy document contains the Obi-Datti’s strategies for purposeful and participatory leadership for national rebirth based on seven governance priorities.
Top on the list is Obi’s plan to secure Nigeria, end banditry and insurgency; unite the country and manage “our diversity.”
The LP candidate also promised production-centred growth for food security and export, moving Nigeria from consumption to production.
He also listed restructuring the polity through effective legal and institutional reforms, to fight corruption and enthrone rule of law and an inclusive and effective government.
Obi, a former Anambra State governor, also promised to move Nigeria from an oil-dependent economy to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) with massive investment in new technologies.
Also, he plans to expand physical infrastructure with focus on critical sectors like power, multi-modal transportation, gas pipeline, through efficient public-private partnership (PPP) reforms.
He also promised youth engagement and human capital development that improves quality of life of workers and families, and productivity-enhancing education that empowers labour competitiveness.
Finally, Obi also promised robust foreign policy that restores Nigeria’s strategic relevance.
Obi said: “As your president, I Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi, my Vice President, Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed and our team pledge to:
“Secure and unite our dear nation, to manage our diversity such that no one is left behind in Nigeria.
“Move Nigeria from consumption to production.
“Embark on comprehensive legal and institutional reforms and practicable restructuring measures, to fight corruption, enthrone rule of law, and an all-inclusive and effective government.
“Prioritise Human Capital Development through robust investments in STEM education, health, and infrastructural development, with emphasis on wealth creation, distribution and sustainable development.
“Engineer the transition of Nigeria from fossil fuel dependency to climate and eco-friendly energy use.
“Pursue holistic poverty eradication with emphasis on agricultural revolution through effective utilisation of our vast arable lands, particularly in Northern Nigeria, and erase Nigeria’s categorisation as the poverty capital of the world.
“Improve access to finance, Particularly to MSMEs, youths and women, to significantly reduce unemployment and insecurity.
“Ensure that in policy and practice, governance will be made more inclusive, cost-effective, transformative, and less transactional (No more sharing of the national wealth by a few)
“Ensure that our diversity will be leveraged to give women and youths, the aged and persons with disabilities, unfettered voice in governance, and a renewed sense of patriotism and faith in Nigeria.
“Ensure that Nigeria is progressively better governed through legislative, executive, and judicial reforms, so that the Constitutional separation of powers among the three arms of government is properly followed and the three tiers of government allowed to function independently and jointly for a more inclusive and sustainable Nigeria.”
