As coalition negotiations heat up ahead of the 2027 presidential election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, met with northern political leaders from the 19 northern states on Thursday.
According to reports, hundreds of political leaders from Abuja came together for the event, which was organized by the secretariat of the newly formed coalition and was sponsored by the National Political Consultative Group (NPCG) North.
Atiku Abubakar, a prominent supporter of opposition unity, reflected on his tenure alongside former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his speech.
He recalled in particular how they responded to the Boko Haram insurgency, mentioning the directive given to military chiefs to either put an end to the insurgency or step down.
“This demand was successful. Within a few weeks or months, the insurgency was crushed. It was finished by the time we departed. I was totally taken aback. However, it reappeared after we left,” Atiku said, stressing that the problem was not entirely resolved following their departure.
Atiku also emphasized the administration’s initiatives to address police shortcomings, bringing up the notable underpolicing in Nigeria that the UN has documented.
“Mr. President, Nigeria is woefully underpoliced,” I told the president. “What can we do?” he said. I informed him that there were numerous police colleges that had been shut down throughout the states and recommended that they be reopened along with additional cops. And that’s exactly what we did,” Atiku said.
Atiku continued by explaining how the Obasanjo government adopted a novel strategy for acquiring police weapons, avoiding onerous contracting processes and speaking with police personnel and diplomats directly to obtain necessary equipment.
Atiku pointed out that despite these initiatives, Nigeria still has a terrible police-to-population ratio, with 340,000 officers charged with protecting 240 million people. In sharp contrast, he noted, Egypt has one million police officers for every 100 million citizens.
Atiku emphasized that “these are challenges we must face head-on,” emphasizing the necessity of extensive reforms in Nigeria’s security sector.
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Atiku turned to education and considered the efforts made to increase access, especially in the North, under the Obasanjo administration. He mentioned the Universal Basic Education Act, which mandated that all Nigerian children get free primary and secondary education, as well as the implementation of an education levy to fund educational programs.
Atiku also broke down in tears when he described a trip to President Muhammadu Buhari’s hometown of Daura, where he saw firsthand the severity of the Almajiri situation.
“I almost cried,” he remarked. There were masses of Almajiri youngsters on the flight from Katsina airport to Daura. Many of our earliest republic officials attended the previous Katsina College, which is located here. Almajirai—young lads in their twenties, thirties, and forties, from Katsina to Daura and back again—have taken over it today, he claimed.
“These are really important problems. They concern not just us but also our offspring and future generations.
“Thank God, I’ve lived my life,” I say to my kids. However, this concerns you and your children. We have to face these obstacles.
