Dear Friend,
Thank you for the opportunity to write to you at this important
time.
The news of the postponement of 2019 Presidential and National
Assembly polls came as a rather rude shock to me as it must have
been to you also. However we must not be discouraged- the task
ahead is certainly of greater moment than the distraction.
I still treasure your overwhelming support for our candidacy in
2015 and also continue to carry the burden of fulfilling the great
undertaking and mission for which I have been thrust forward.
In the past weeks and over the course of my time in office, I
have interacted with everyday Nigerians not only to give account of
our stewardship, but also to listen. Across the length and breadth
of our great country, I’ve seen and heard passionate Nigerians who
work hard to earn a decent and dignified life. Working closely with
President Muhammadu Buhari, we have had the privilege to share our
vision of a country where all Nigerians, regardless of tribe, class
and background can aspire to a viable future and dignified
existence. This belief is something that President Buhari has borne
and demonstrated for decades as a soldier, public servant,
candidate, and now, as President. Now more than ever before, we
feel we are truly at the cusp of greatness.
In 2015, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
we undertook to tackle insecurity, corruption and an economy
characterised by extremely deficient infrastructure and the sheer
abundance of poverty. Despite extenuating circumstances, we have
worked hard to actualise our mission. A nation at war, we delivered
on our commitment to secure our territorial integrity by liberating
17 Local Government Areas from the grip of insurgency. We halted
the march of the insurgents to Kaduna, Kano and Abuja where they
had bombed churches, mosques, government buildings including the UN
building and Police Headquarters in Abuja before 2015. Today the
activities of insurgents and the new ISIS West Africa (ISWA) are
largely restricted to Northern Borno.
I, like many other Nigerians, have believed, all of my life,
that our nation has sufficient resources to provide a dignified
existence for most of our citizens. Our curse has been the
character of leadership that has often advanced personal gain as
the underlying motive for public service. I know that has changed
since 2015 and many can see that as well. We are doing far much
more with lesser resources than prior administrations. Corruption
is the singular reason why for many years before 2015, uncompleted
or non-existent infrastructure littered the landscape just as
poverty alleviation schemes were additional vehicles that enriched
only a handful at the expense of a growing and aggrieved
population. Inevitably, the inequality gap is the underlying cause
of insecurity and social tension.
Over the last three and a half years, we have laid the
foundations for a stable and prosperous country for our people. The
nation’s wealth is now being invested in capital projects to expand
infrastructure and connect people, goods and opportunities by rail,
road and air. We have introduced several measures to ease doing
business in Nigeria, and also ensure that micro, small and medium
businesses can access government services and loan facilities. We
also took an unprecedented step towards creating a fairer and more
equitable society by implementing Africa’s biggest social
investment programme. Through the National Social Investment
Programme, we are providing direct support to over 13 million
Nigerians who need it by giving relief and assistance to unemployed
youth, our children, the weak and vulnerable as well as small and
medium businesses. We are directly providing the majority of our
people a path out of poverty.
We know that building a compassionate nation under the rubric of
social justice, led by the Federal Government, is not only
desirable to right-thinking Nigerians, but is a national
imperative. This is why the Federal Government did not hesitate to
support state governments with bailouts that enabled them to pay
unpaid state workers, as well as taking on the responsibility of
settling decades of unpaid pension liabilities to retirees of
moribund federal enterprises.
While we continue to believe that the primary role of leadership
is to advance good for the people of Nigeria, there are many
challenges that still beset the nation. For decades, not much was
done by way of focused human capital development. Our priorities
for the next four years, if elected, are set out in our Next Level
Roadmap document. We believe that the gains in providing free meals
for children in public primary schools must now be deepened with
our plan to revamp education through a focus on Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM); prioritising
digital literacy; retraining all teachers in primary and secondary
schools, and also remodelling and equipping our classrooms. Our
Next Level Roadmap also outlines our plans for employment, skills
development, health, power, agriculture, industrialisation,
inclusion in governance, among others.
We are clear in our minds that many of the APC’s programmes are
designed to give Nigerians a lift and make them successful. A lot
of thought, rigorous analysis and governance experience went into
the development of these programmes and we know that they are
feasible once we put our mind to them.
We are running for a second term in office because we believe
things will improve significantly than they currently are if we
stay the course. We are faced with a choice to keep building a
Nigeria where conscience drives the ship of state- making a break
from a tainted past which widened the inequality gap. Our choices
will shape us – our economic security and our future prosperity.
Nigeria, more than ever before, needs a stable and people-focused
government to move the agenda for our country forward.
The task of laying a foundation is hard and tedious work. It’s
neither glamorous nor exciting for the builder or the observer. Yet
without it, the pleasure of a completed building remains a dream.
The Buhari administration has spent the last three and a half years
laying the foundation. We are asking you to join in putting up the
building over the next four years. May I respectfully request you
to perform your civic responsibility by going out to vote and I’m
confident that by the grace of Almighty God, we will all go to the
next level of growth, prosperity and peace.
Let’s join hands to create a nation we can be proud of. God
bless you.
Sincerely,
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN
Aguda House, Presidential Villa,
Abuja, FCT
Dear Friend,
Thank you for the opportunity to write to you at this important
time.
The news of the postponement of 2019 Presidential and National
Assembly polls came as a rather rude shock to me as it must have
been to you also. However we must not be discouraged- the task
ahead is certainly of greater moment than the distraction.
I still treasure your overwhelming support for our candidacy in
2015 and also continue to carry the burden of fulfilling the great
undertaking and mission for which I have been thrust forward.
In the past weeks and over the course of my time in office, I
have interacted with everyday Nigerians not only to give account of
our stewardship, but also to listen. Across the length and breadth
of our great country, I’ve seen and heard passionate Nigerians who
work hard to earn a decent and dignified life. Working closely with
President Muhammadu Buhari, we have had the privilege to share our
vision of a country where all Nigerians, regardless of tribe, class
and background can aspire to a viable future and dignified
existence. This belief is something that President Buhari has borne
and demonstrated for decades as a soldier, public servant,
candidate, and now, as President. Now more than ever before, we
feel we are truly at the cusp of greatness.
In 2015, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
we undertook to tackle insecurity, corruption and an economy
characterised by extremely deficient infrastructure and the sheer
abundance of poverty. Despite extenuating circumstances, we have
worked hard to actualise our mission. A nation at war, we delivered
on our commitment to secure our territorial integrity by liberating
17 Local Government Areas from the grip of insurgency. We halted
the march of the insurgents to Kaduna, Kano and Abuja where they
had bombed churches, mosques, government buildings including the UN
building and Police Headquarters in Abuja before 2015. Today the
activities of insurgents and the new ISIS West Africa (ISWA) are
largely restricted to Northern Borno.
I, like many other Nigerians, have believed, all of my life,
that our nation has sufficient resources to provide a dignified
existence for most of our citizens. Our curse has been the
character of leadership that has often advanced personal gain as
the underlying motive for public service. I know that has changed
since 2015 and many can see that as well. We are doing far much
more with lesser resources than prior administrations. Corruption
is the singular reason why for many years before 2015, uncompleted
or non-existent infrastructure littered the landscape just as
poverty alleviation schemes were additional vehicles that enriched
only a handful at the expense of a growing and aggrieved
population. Inevitably, the inequality gap is the underlying cause
of insecurity and social tension.
Over the last three and a half years, we have laid the
foundations for a stable and prosperous country for our people. The
nation’s wealth is now being invested in capital projects to expand
infrastructure and connect people, goods and opportunities by rail,
road and air. We have introduced several measures to ease doing
business in Nigeria, and also ensure that micro, small and medium
businesses can access government services and loan facilities. We
also took an unprecedented step towards creating a fairer and more
equitable society by implementing Africa’s biggest social
investment programme. Through the National Social Investment
Programme, we are providing direct support to over 13 million
Nigerians who need it by giving relief and assistance to unemployed
youth, our children, the weak and vulnerable as well as small and
medium businesses. We are directly providing the majority of our
people a path out of poverty.
We know that building a compassionate nation under the rubric of
social justice, led by the Federal Government, is not only
desirable to right-thinking Nigerians, but is a national
imperative. This is why the Federal Government did not hesitate to
support state governments with bailouts that enabled them to pay
unpaid state workers, as well as taking on the responsibility of
settling decades of unpaid pension liabilities to retirees of
moribund federal enterprises.
While we continue to believe that the primary role of leadership
is to advance good for the people of Nigeria, there are many
challenges that still beset the nation. For decades, not much was
done by way of focused human capital development. Our priorities
for the next four years, if elected, are set out in our Next Level
Roadmap document. We believe that the gains in providing free meals
for children in public primary schools must now be deepened with
our plan to revamp education through a focus on Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM); prioritising
digital literacy; retraining all teachers in primary and secondary
schools, and also remodelling and equipping our classrooms. Our
Next Level Roadmap also outlines our plans for employment, skills
development, health, power, agriculture, industrialisation,
inclusion in governance, among others.
We are clear in our minds that many of the APC’s programmes are
designed to give Nigerians a lift and make them successful. A lot
of thought, rigorous analysis and governance experience went into
the development of these programmes and we know that they are
feasible once we put our mind to them.
We are running for a second term in office because we believe
things will improve significantly than they currently are if we
stay the course. We are faced with a choice to keep building a
Nigeria where conscience drives the ship of state- making a break
from a tainted past which widened the inequality gap. Our choices
will shape us – our economic security and our future prosperity.
Nigeria, more than ever before, needs a stable and people-focused
government to move the agenda for our country forward.
The task of laying a foundation is hard and tedious work. It’s
neither glamorous nor exciting for the builder or the observer. Yet
without it, the pleasure of a completed building remains a dream.
The Buhari administration has spent the last three and a half years
laying the foundation. We are asking you to join in putting up the
building over the next four years. May I respectfully request you
to perform your civic responsibility by going out to vote and I’m
confident that by the grace of Almighty God, we will all go to the
next level of growth, prosperity and peace.
Let’s join hands to create a nation we can be proud of. God
bless you.
Sincerely,
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN
Aguda House, Presidential Villa,
Abuja, FCT