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The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has unveiled a four-pillar agenda for Nigeria, promising to tackle economic hardship, unemployment, insecurity and structural imbalances if elected president.
Makinde outlined the agenda Wednesday at the party’s South-South Town Hall Meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.
He identified education, economic restructuring, entrepreneurship and the reform of Nigeria’s sociopolitical system as critical to national development.
He described the South-south as a resource-rich region whose people continued to experience poverty despite its enormous natural wealth and argued that natural resources alone could not guarantee economic prosperity without investment in education, skills and knowledge.
He said education is fundamental to building a thriving middle class, creating employment opportunities and strengthening national security.
He added that his administration would address persistent militancy in the Niger Delta, saying that although the situation had improved, the underlying challenges remained unresolved.
On the economy, the APM candidate said Nigeria must move beyond dependence on federal allocations by creating an enabling environment for private investment, entrepreneurship and employment generation.
Makinde, who cited his experience as an entrepreneur, pledged to encourage businesses through appropriate incentives, including tax relief, while advocating a tax system that places a greater burden on wealth rather than poverty.
He criticised the prevailing tax framework, arguing that taxation should support productivity and economic expansion rather than impose additional hardship on vulnerable Nigerians.
The Oyo state governor also called for a restructuring of Nigeria’s federal system to ensure that states and local governments received their constitutionally allocated revenues.
He specifically raised concerns over the handling of dividends from Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), alleging that the federal government had not fully remitted the appropriate share of the proceeds due to the Federation Account over the years.
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