Addressing a World Press Conference in Abuja yesterday, Atiku said he was offering himself as a candidate for election to the office ofthe President after due consultations with his family, friends andpolitical associates.
He stressed that he was not vying for the position because he wanted to be rich or famous, but to realise his vision of a prosperous,secure, peaceful, democratic, caring and confident Nigeria.
According to him, “I am not seeking the presidency because I want to be rich and famous. Given how far I have come from my humble beginningsin Jada, Adamawa State, I feel enormously blessed. But life is not justabout individual success; it is, more importantly, about our collectivesuccess.
“Life is also about those with the capacity and talent to help others and the society as a whole to roll up their sleeves and do so. Ihave had the privilege of travelling quite a bit outside this countryand I always come close to shedding tears when I see what countriesthat were less endowed than Nigeria have been able to do in the effortto provide infrastructure, investment support and social services fortheir people. I know that we can do the same in Nigeria.
“I have been close enough to power to know the enormous potential that a President has to move this country in the right direction. Wejust have to give ourselves the chance to do that with someone who iswell prepared for the challenges, someone with a plan to decisivelytackle our collective and urgent problems.
“I am that person. We need a leader who is experienced, exposed and also keenly aware that the development of this country depends on theinvestments we make in our youth. I am that leader. We need a leaderwho understands that leadership requires both experience and youthful,creative energy, someone who is a bridge to the future and a bridgeacross our divides. I am that leader. We need a leader who can makegood things happen. I am that leader.”
The former Vice President who noted that Presidency was not for ill-prepared persons as well as for experimentation, stressed: “Now istime for action.”
5 key areas of focus
He said he was going to pay attention to five key areas as President of Nigeria. These, according to him, are employment generation andwealth creation; power generation and infrastructural development;security, good governance and war against corruption; education, healthand social services and the Niger Delta.
According to him, “we need a clear vision for our nation with a clear road map of how we hope to get there. Thus, I have had a longperiod of soul-searching and reflection on these and other issuesaffecting our dear country.
“After due consultations with my family, friends and political associates, I have come here to formally announce, with humility and adeep sense of responsibility, that I shall be offering myself as acandidate for election to the office of President of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria in the 2011 Presidential Election. I shall do so onthe platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. I want to chart anew course for our beloved country and lead our people to theirmanifest destiny.”
“Iam seeking the presidency of our great country to realize my vision of a prosperous, secure, peaceful, democratic, caring andconfident Nigeria. I intend to lead the efforts to create conduciveconditions and incentives for productive investment in our country.
“These will create massive numbers of jobs which will keep our youth gainfully employed and help to tackle the high level of insecurity inthe country. Our productivity can only increase significantly if weinvest in education, research and modern technology, andinfrastructure.
“As we become more prosperous through increased productivity we will be better able, as a nation, to provide more rewarding and enablingsocial services. We will become a more caring society as we give moresupport to those who need help in order to have a more decent life.This will include fast_tracking the development of the Niger Delta aswell as addressing the cries of marginalization by different sectionsof the country.
“When we are able to get our acts together, we will become more confident as a people and a country. We will be confident to visit ourvillages or any part of the country without the fear of kidnappers andarmed robbers. We will be confident to present our green passports atinternational entry ports without the fear of being singled out aspotential criminals.
“We will be confident to pick up the phone and call foreign businesses to conclude deals without being seen as scammers. We will beconfident to take on the world and influence events in ways that serveour national interest and the interests of justice, fairness andequity. I am ready to lead the movement for the realization of thatvision. Together we shall make good things happen.
“I have picked five key areas for immediate intervention because of their critical impact on all other areas of development. These are:Employment Generation and Wealth Creation
Power Generation and Infrastructural Development, Security, Good Governance and War against Corruption, Education, Health and SocialServices, and the Niger Delta.
Atiku who admitted that there was no way he would accomplish the task alone, however called on everyone to support him, adding, “Icannot do these alone. With your support, we will put in placeattractive incentives for investors to invest in our economy and createwell_paying jobs.
“Together we will fix our crumbling schools, our roads, and our health care delivery system. Together we shall fix the electricityproblem by taking advantage of the varying energy resources and needsin different parts of the country.
“Together we shall address desertification, gully erosion and other lingering environmental challenges. Together we will tackle theinfrastructural bottlenecks that have stalled investments. Together weshall provide our people with the tools to live productive livesindependent of government handouts. “Together we shall wage a genuinewar on corruption by instituting a better reward and punishment system,ensuring true independence of the anti_corruption agencies and thespeedy trial of corruption cases.
“In 2007, I proposed a separate ministry of the Niger Delta in order to fast_track the development of the region, the way we have been doingfor Abuja. As you can see, the idea of a separate ministry has not beenfully implemented to be able to fast_track development of the region.Under my watch that will change.
“Together we shall clean up and restore the environment of the Niger Delta, speed up the development of the area, ensure that oil and gasextraction is carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner, andhold those responsible for environmental degradation accountable. Oiland gas prospecting does not have to be a death sentence for those whoare fortunate to sit on vast amounts of energy resources.
“Together we shall create a country where it no longer matters which region of the country a public office holder comes from. Together wewill make this country truly great. Together we shall make good thingshappen.
Atiku who described Nigeria as a failed state against the backdrop that as a nation, the country is still drifting like a rudderless ship,stressed that Nigeria has no reason to fail owing to the fact that itis one of the most richly endowed nations of the world.
“Despite the modest achievements of the past, our country is still drifting like a rudderless ship. It is difficult for anybody to saywhat vision is guiding the actions of those in charge of our affairs.Rather we seem to be stumbling from one crisis to the other.
“Our economy is still very weak and unable to deliver the goods and services needed to give our people a decent standard of living. Ourinfrastructure is in a shambles thereby making economic and socialactivities unprofitable and unattractive. Our public schools havecontinued to deteriorate, creating an embarrassing and unacceptabledichotomy between public and private education.
“Our health care system has been rated as one of the worst in the world. The manufacturing sector has been hobbled by a series ofinconsistent policies and power failure,” he said.
On how to overcome the lingering power crisis in the country, Alhaji Abubakar said, if the Obasanjo’s administration had accepted hisblueprint in 2002, the nation would by now, have overcome its powerproblems with the private sector investment in small and medium powerplants across the nation .
“If my 2002 blueprint had been approved we would have overcome the problems of the power sector by now. The way out of the power problemin small and medium power stations which will take between two to threeyears to build.
“Even the Federal government does not have enough resources to tackle the current power challenges. Therefore, we have to create theenvironment for investors to come in to build small and medium plants.Many private investors, both local and foreign are yearning to go intothis sector; all we need is the environment to be created for them”, hesaid.
When asked why he was declaring on the platform of the PDP when the party said there was no waiver for him, Atiku Abubakar said, “I knowIam a member of PDP, this talk about my membership is nothing, butrubbish. Waiver is an ongoing thing, today (yesterday), Iam declaringmy intention to run: tomorrow (today), I will file my application tocontest and let me see…”
On whether he will not quit the party if he does not get the ticket, he said, “I will not leave PDP if I don’t get the ticket”.
Notable Politicians who were present at the briefing and formal declaration were, former Senate President Iyorchia Ayu, Ex_ministersMustapha Shettima, Funke Adedoyin, Titi Ajanaku, Dubem Onyia, Atiku’s2007 Vice Presidential candidate, Senator Ben Obi, Alhaji TankoYankassai, Yahaya Kwande, Ozi Salami, former governor of Old KadunaState, Lawal Kaita, Tonye Princewell, among others.
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