Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, a Kastina State based businessman, Prince Nalado Usman Yusuf, has called on Prince Adewole Adebayo, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP), to join the race for a second time. He advised Adebayo not to give up after his first trial but to take a cue from late President Muhammadu Buhari who tried several times before he eventually succeeded. Yusuf x-rayed President Tinubu’s performance in his over two years in office, looking at the economy, security, education and agriculture among others. MAURICE OKOSISI brings the excerpts.
More than two and a half years after Bola Tinubu assumed office as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, what is your impression of his performance in office? Has he lived up to your expectations?
No, he has not lived up to my expectations at all. It has been disappointing all the way. Almost every facet of our national life is in crisis, ranging from security to economy, education and agriculture among others.
Nigeria’s major concern is the issue of insecurity, which has crippled almost every activity in the country, especially in the Northern part of the country. The president has failed in the area of security. This issue should be dealt with head-on. Mr President should mobilise all our troops and weaponry to bring this to an immediate end. Equally, modern technology such as drones and other surveillance and intelligence gathering equipment must be employed.
In the area of education, a substantial budgetary allocation should be made each year to the sector while teachers’ welfare should be of particular interest, in addition to the provision of teaching and learning aids and conducive atmospheres.
Coming to agriculture, modern agricultural technology must be introduced so as to boost both crops and livestock production to ensure self-sufficiency in food production, and probably for export to generate revenue for the country. Nigerians are hungry and that shouldn’t be considering the vast acres of arable lands scattered across every region in the country.
What is your take on the Nigerian economy?
The economy has been wobbling. Right now, the economy is hitting hard on the common man. Only the politicians and those who control the levers of government are comfortable. The majority of Nigerians are going through a harsh economic situation. The welfare of Nigerians is not on the table at all as far as this Tinubu government is concerned. But that must also be of utmost importance as there is no other development above that of human beings. Basic social amenities such as shelter, pipe borne water, adequate and subsidized healthcare services are all beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians. They should all be provided, in addition to skills acquisition training for self-reliance and stipends for the sick and those who are not strong enough.
As Nigerians prepare for a general election in 2027, some people are asking for younger candidates to come out. One of the prominent potential candidates is Prince Adewole Adebayo of SDP. What are your views about him?
He ran for presidency under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 presidential election and has remained a strong pillar of that party even after the election. That simply shows that he is a politician of principle, not a roving one just searching for a ticket to contest election. He has stayed glued to his party despite all invitations to dump it and join others. This single action is a clear testimony that his intention to transform this country is genuine, and that he is not just looking for a fortune as he has it all. He is a lawyer by profession, a businessman, public affairs commentator, and politician and to cap it all, he is the owner of the King Adebayo Film and Theatre Arts Network (KAFTAN-TV) Television; one of the foremost television stations in the country. His campaign slogan of “HOPE AGAIN 2023,” should be revisited and rekindled, and probably amend it to become “Rescue 2027,” but still with the youths as his foot soldiers. The introduction of the word rescue is as a result of what the country is going through and experiencing, most especially in the areas of economy, security, education, social welfare healthcare services, industrialization and agricultural production.
Are you saying he should join the presidential race again in 2027?
Exactly my point, he should throw his heart in the ring again. He is young, energetic, talented and full of ideas that can turn Nigeria around for the better. Adebayo should see turning around Nigeria’s economy as a matter of priority. He should give it the attention it deserves and the transformation it needs. The value of the naira should be raised, revenue generation should be commensurate with the earnings of any payer, budgets should be implemented fully, foreign investments to be encouraged and debts be managed sincerely while attempts should be made to offset it gradually, but unfailingly
In the event that he emerges victorious in 2027, what are your expectations from him?
When he assumes that office in 2027, it is obvious he must make sure to re-industrialise the nation. All the moribund industries nationwide must be revitalized while new ones should be encouraged, and investors in the sector should be invited and given reasonable concessions as an incentive for them to establish more industries.
Similarly, he should strive to revitalize the civil service, equip all our armed forces, ensure prompt payment of salaries and pensions for the retired persons, pay local and international contractors what they are being owed, ensure transparency in the running of the country’s affairs, ensure the establishment of vibrant and patriotic National Assemblies through honest and patriotic people as leaders free of any criminal or moral misdeeds.
Adebayo has seen it all. Apart from being a successful lawyer and a businessman of international repute, he is equally a philanthropist who has been familiar with the art of governance. It is, therefore, a duty on him to present himself again for election in 2027. After all, late President Muhammadu Buhari gave a shot to the presidency about three times before he could finally tear the net in 2015.
