By Emeka Alex Duru
I must confess that the title of this article, is not original to me. It is also fortuitous. It was lifted from the social media facebook page of a good friend and newspaper Publisher, Ken Ugbechie, who like many Nigerians, was excited by the brilliant outing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi, in a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) live interview, The Candidates, on Wednesday, January 30.
The interview series, which features presidential candidates and their running mates, has seen the anchor and Editor of the rested 234Next Newspapers, Kadaria Ahmed, engaging the respondents on key issues challenging the country.
Responses from President Muhammad and vice President Yemi Osinbajo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), during her encounter with them, turned out an anti-climax. Rather than giving Nigerians hope, it confirmed fears in many quarters that giving the President another four years, would further draw down the country on all indices of development. Obviously not prepared for the challenge of the office, Buhari had fumbled on most of the questions thrown at him. Not even the intermittent intervention by Osinbajo could save the day for the team.
The schedule for Atiku and Obi, therefore, offered Nigerians another opportunity to watch them and assess their readiness for the offices they are aspiring for. At the end of the session however, the duo gave a good account of themselves on all issues thrown at them. It must have been on account of their wonderful performance, that Ugbechie made the remarks.
But more than that, Atiku and Obi have in their utterances and actions, shown that they understand what the issues are in the present day Nigeria. With benefit of hindsight, they know where Nigeria is now, compared to where it was a couple of years ago on matters of national development and standard of living for the citizens. Consequently and with a desire to make a change, they are offering themselves for service, not for the fun of the office but to reposition the system. To them, Nigeria’s current situation, is piteous.
This, to some extent, was what the United States of America (USA), was passing through, at a time, when Fredrick Delano Roosevelt (FDR), offered himself for service at the presidential level. Confronted by the Great Depression of the time and other internal issues, the Republican President, Herbert Hoover, was obviously lost on how to fix the country. But energized by his personal victory over polio and the desire to serve, FDR used his persistent optimism and activism to renew the national spirit. In place of despair, he offered hope to his countrymen and women. Aside the gift of oratorical skill, he laid out strategies to get America back to work. He presented them with alternatives on how to get out of their difficult situation. It was therefore, not surprising that he routed the incumbent at the November 1932 presidential election.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia has it that in his first 100 days in office, which began March 4, 1933, Roosevelt spearheaded major legislation and issued a profusion of executive orders that instituted the New Deal—a variety of programmes designed to produce relief (government jobs for the unemployed), recovery (economic growth), and reform (through regulation of Wall Street, banks and transportation). He created numerous programs to support the unemployed and farmers, and encouraged labour union growth while more closely regulating business and high finance. Since his death in April 1945, serving 12 years with a record of winning four elections, Americans still draw from Roosevelt’s sense of duty.
Atiku brandishes a template that aligns considerably with the reformist New Dealprogrammes of Roosevelt. In for instance, pledging that if elected into office, his government will offer amnesty to treasury looters as bait to recover stolen money stashed away in foreign countries, he was simply approaching the issue from the angle of realism as against Buhari’s populist proclamation of going against the suspects without any proof or tangible results. This is especially as he has assured that the recovered funds, would be invested in the country to create jobs, improve insecurity and grow the economy.
Atiku’s remarks that his government would be willing to investigate Military top commanders as a way of tackling the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, if elected, is also another strategy to governance that would mark a radical departure from the present fire-brigade approach. This presupposes meeting the needs of the security personnel charged with the task of combating the insurgents and demanding results from them.
Also, in providing valid insight in reforming the judiciary and tackling corruption through appropriate legislations, Atiku demonstrates great understanding of the fact that an enhanced judiciary that fast tracks dispensation of justice, is the shortest way to discourage corruption. Above all, his proposition on lower corporate taxation as a way of encouraging businesses to thrive and refloat the economy, captures the views of Nigerians in repositioning the system.
These are packages that will enhance productivity, energise the economy and release the creative potentials of Nigerians. When put in place, Nigeria will jump out of its odious status as the Poverty Capital of the World. In addition, its present ugly rating as the third most insecure country, coming after Afghanistan and Iraq, would be obliterated. By the same token, the per capita income of the citizens that has been sliding in the last four years, would be reversed. More than any other thing, the current divisive tendencies that have been unleashed on the citizens on account of the provincial proclivities of the Buhari administration, would be comprehensively addressed. These are the windows of hope offered by the Atiku-Obi ticket.