2027: Four years enough for capable leader to transform Nigeria -Adewole Adebayo

…Challenges Tinubu to debate

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for 2027 General Elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo has said that four years is enough for a competent and able leader to transform Nigeria

Adebayo said this on Tuesday in Abuja while unveiling the SDP’s 2027–2031 policy document, titled “Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity”.

He said the document is the party’s blueprint for tackling Nigeria’s security, economic and infrastructure challenges.

He cited the administration of Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, former governor of Lagos, as an example of what a focused government can achieve within four years.

“When Jakande got to Lagos, three sets of students had to use one classroom. In Lagos, if you tried to drive your car on Monday, you could not drive it on Tuesday because of congestion.

“People were piling on top of each other, living in Ebute Metta and all those places. Jakande did housing, education and everything, including transportation and metro line planning, in four years.

“Four years is enough for a determined leader to help his people. Forty years is not enough for thieves to milk you dry,” Adebayo said.

He said the SDP policy document focuses on human development, citizens’ dignity and affordable infrastructure that can be financed within the country’s income.

According to him, the plan would increase electricity generation to 75,000 megawatts and establish four functioning public refineries among other deliverables in the downstream sector.

He said, “This plan will give you four functioning public refineries, will give you 36 modular refineries, and will allow private investors to put their refineries in Nigeria and export their own overseas.”

Adebayo speaking on the ongoing debate over petrol subsidy, said Nigerians should not be made to buy the commodity at international prices without getting income commensurate with global standards.

He said, “No Nigerian should be living in Nigeria, buying petrol at an international price without getting the salary of the international labour.

“That’s why we calculated it and said N200 at current rates is the price at which you can sell petrol, and you will not push the people into poverty.”

The SDP presidential candidate
blamed the naira’s depreciation on alleged mismanagement and theft of national revenue.

“What is happening is that even if you tell the people in government to sell petrol at N3,000, they will still declare a loss because they cannot keep the value of the currency.

“And the currency is depreciating because, first, the money we make from our national income- petrol, solid minerals, taxes- is being stolen in broad daylight.

“They just collude with the criminals; they have a CBN to print money. At the end of the day, we have empty paper,” Adebayo said.

…Challenges Tinubu to debate
Prince Adebayo also challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to a public debate, insisting that four years is enough for a determined government to transform Nigeria.

He urged Nigerians to reject what he described as the country’s “politics of comedy and clowning,” saying Nigeria’s challenges were largely man-made and could be tackled through competent leadership, purposeful governance and policies that promote production.

“We are trying to tell Nigerians that we are beyond sloganeering. We are saying to you: here is our farewell to poverty and insecurity. We have submitted our thesis to Nigerians. Mark us. Evaluate us. Contradict us,” Adebayo said.

He challenged President Tinubu to explain his administration’s record since assuming office, particularly the utilisation of funds associated with the removal of the petrol subsidy.

He said, “The first challenge is thrown to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: come out of hiding. Come and debate.”

He also questioned government spending on security, compressed natural gas (CNG) and electricity, asking where the resources from subsidy reforms had gone.

“Where have you been in the past four years? What have you been doing? Where is the money?

“Where is the money you saved from subsidies that never existed? Where are the trillions for security? Where is the CNG? Where is the electricity?” he asked.

The SDP candidate also criticised the Central Bank of Nigeria’s management of the economy, alleging that the apex bank had failed to adequately protect the naira, stimulate productivity and create employment.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria is not protecting our currency. It is not creating productivity and employment. It has become a warehouse for thieves. We must kick the thieves out of the team,” Adebayo alleged.

He further alleged that revenues from petroleum, solid minerals and taxation were being mismanaged, describing the alleged diversion of public resources as “stealing in broad daylight.”

He also pledged to establish four functioning public refineries and 36 modular refineries, while creating an enabling environment for private investors to build additional refineries and export petroleum products.

On insecurity, Adebayo said an SDP government would combine military operations with political, economic and social measures aimed at addressing the underlying causes of crime and insurgency.

He attributed much of the insecurity to what he described as government failure and argued that voting for a change of government in 2027 would be a major step towards confronting banditry.

“Since the majority of insecurity is caused by government failure, when you use your vote in 2027 to change the government, you have already gone 60 per cent of the way towards chasing away the bandits,” he said.

He also pledged to promote national unity and confront what he called “internal colonialism”, which he said had contributed to ethnic, religious and regional divisions.

Earlier, the SDP National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Umar Gombe, said the manifesto was anchored on three interconnected pillars: security, productivity and prosperity.

According to him, the party intended to secure lives and property while addressing economic and social conditions that contribute to crime, extremism and instability.

He stressed that an SDP administration would strengthen the armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, border control and justice system while combining kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to insecurity.

He said the party’s economic programme would promote self-reliance, productive employment, poverty reduction, balanced regional development and social inclusion.

“We do not believe that poverty should be managed in Nigeria. We believe poverty must be eliminated through production, employment, opportunity and responsible social protection,” Gombe said.

While assuring accountability in public office, the SDP Chairman said that citizens must be empowered to demand answers from their leaders.

“Accountability is not an inconvenience to governance. Accountability is governance itself,” he said.

He said the SDP envisioned a Nigeria where farmers could cultivate their land without fear, traders could move goods safely, businesses could invest confidently and citizens could live, work, worship and travel without fear.

On his part, the SDP vice-presidential candidate, Dr. Usman Bugaje, said Nigeria’s fundamental problem was not a shortage of capable people but poor leadership.

Bugaje cited the performance of Nigerians in the diaspora as evidence that the country possessed the human capacity needed to build a prosperous nation.

“If you look at Nigerians in the diaspora, they are doing very well. Go to any country and you will find Nigerian professionals performing at par with their counterparts. In many cases, they are excelling in their chosen fields.

“That tells us something very important: the problem is not the Nigerian people. The problem is leadership,” Bugaje said.

He said the manifesto is a commitment to Nigerians and a “living document” that would continue to evolve through engagement with citizens.

He noted insecurity, low agricultural productivity and high energy costs as major obstacles to national development.

According to him, Nigeria could substantially increase food production by adopting proven agricultural methods and developing stronger agricultural value chains, while reducing energy costs to boost transportation, farming and manufacturing.