Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, said, yesterday, that he would achieve restructuring of the country in six months if elected president in next year’s elections, just as he promised to offer a matching grant of $250 million each to the 36 states of the federation to challenge them to enhance their Internally Generated Revenue, IGR.

Abubakar, who stated this during a question and answer session at Chatham House, UK, also said he was not surprised by Buhari’s statement that Nigerian youths were lazy, since he had never managed a business. He said: “It is doable. In fact, what I’ve told many Nigerians at home is that if you give me six months, I know I will be able to achieve a fast level of restructuring, otherwise the concurrent list issue.

“It’s very easy to deal with it because there is no state that you will call and say ‘I want to give you this responsibility together with the resources’, and will say ‘no’. “I want the people of every state to be able to hold their leaders accountable because, at the moment, the federal government is being accused of everything, even when it’s not in its area of responsibility.

“I want to be able to resolve that so that citizens can hold their local leaders responsible for lapses and maladministration.” Asked if he would consider running as an independent candidate should he fail to secure the ticket of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku said: “We’ll wait until that time”. He said if he was elected president in 2019, he would “make Nigeria attractive for Nigerians in the diaspora to return home.”

On President’s Buhari’s description of some Nigerian youths as lazy bunch, Abubakar said the President would not describe Nigerian youth as lazy if he were an employer of labour. He said: “On the issue of youth, I am an employer of labour and most of that labour is youth-dominated and I make a lot of profits from my businesses.

“I don’t agree with the assumption that the youths are lazy or they are indolent. Certainly, I don’t. But I’m not surprised with the fellow who made that remark because he’s not an employer of labour, he has no business, he has no educational institution so he doesn’t relate with youths in schools so I don’t blame him. Abubakar criticised the multiple exchange rate in the country, saying it does not encourage foreign investors to put their money in Nigeria. Delivering his lecture entitled, “The Importance of Strengthening State Economic Management Systems,” Abubakar also spoke of plans to improve the operational efficiency of revenue generating agencies.

He said: “If I have my way, the Federal Government will match state’s IGR up to $250 million per state. Even with this policy, the Federal Government will continue to offer support (in the form of intervention programmes) for states that rank below the average development index, until such a time as they are able to become self-sufficient and sustaining.””

“Beyond institutional and administrative reforms to improve operational efficiency of the revenue agencies, the federating units will be challenged to double their efforts in rebuilding the fiscal-social contract, by enhancing service delivery in key areas such as health, education, water supply and infrastructural development. “Only this would change the predominant perception that government revenues are diverted to the private bank accounts of politicians and their cronies.”

Paperwhite:
Another political charade or gimmick.

CilicMarin:
Not until you visit United States Of America.

Tell that to ipob yoots, who are the 90% of your supporters.

lalasticlala:
They have come again. That's how politicians promise heaven and earth before elections, Once they win, the story changes

AtikuNetwork:


Bros why na? Don't judge Atiku until he breaks his promise. He won't disappoint. I promise.

AtikuNetwork:


This is not a fake 'change' charade or gimmick bro. Atiku is not about propaganda like some fake change agents. He means business. He is a successful businessman who has experience under his belt. He has too much money to want to loot like some longerthroat past leaders. You will be alive to witness all the goodies he will deliver after he is sworn in next year. Go and write it down.

AtikuNetwork:


Bros why na? Don't judge Atiku until he breaks his promise. He won't disappoint. I promise.

rusher14:


[s]Why was he indicted by a USA SENATE COMMITEE ON CORRUPTION?

Jennifer Elizabeth Douglas, who has also gone by the names Jennifer Iwenjiora, Jamila Abubakar, and Jennifer Douglas-Abubakar, is the fourth wife of Atiku Abubakar. According to the Atiku Biography,Ms. Douglas was born in Nigeria as Jennifer Iwenjiora, worked as a television journalist at the Nigerian Television Authority, and dated Mr. Abubakar in the early 1980s, before leaving for the United States.

She lost touch with Mr. Abubakar while attending Howard University. She subsequently married in the United States, took the married name of Jennifer Douglas, and later divorced, becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen during this time period. Ms. Douglas eventually renewed her relationship with Mr. Abubakar who came to visit her in the United States. According to the Atiku Biography, from late 1995 to early 1998, while Sani Abacha was in power in Nigeria, Mr. Abubakar “spent most of his time in Maryland” with Ms. Douglas, making occasional visits to Nigeria.

Skipped a lot of paragraphs to the important bit on Page 190.


In December 2008, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed criminal and civil pleadings alleging that Siemens AG, a major German company traded on the New York Stock Exchange, violated the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by making bribery payments to obtain business in multiple countries, including Nigeria.

Siemens pleaded guilty to violating the books and record keeping provisions of the FCPA, and agreed to pay combined criminal and civil fines totaling more than $1.6 billion.

One of the allegations in the SEC civil complaint against Siemens was that “approximately $2.8 million of the bribe payments was routed through a bank account in Potomac, Maryland, in the name of the wife of a former Nigerian Vice President.”

The Subcommittee has obtained wire transfer documentation substantiating this allegation, as explained below. Through her legal
counsel, however, Ms. Douglas denies any wrongdoing





https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FOREIGNCORRUPTIONREPORTFINAL710.pdf[/s]

BabaRamota1980:


You no well. Pack all the living American Presidents from Carter to Trump come restructure Nigeria in 2yrs dem no go fit, much less Atiku doing it in 6months.

Abi you think say to restructure Nigeria go easy?

Ol boy go stand for wall and do one corner dance to recover ya mind abeg. Yeye

AtikuNetwork:


This is not a fake 'change' charade or gimmick bro. Atiku is not about propaganda like some fake change agents. He means business. He is a successful businessman who has experience under his belt. He has too much money to want to loot like some longerthroat past leaders. You will be alive to witness all the goodies he will deliver after he is sworn in next year. Go and write it down.

Mynd44:

You cannot promise to restructure Nigeria in 6 months. Reason being that it is a constitutional change natter and it requires 2/3 of every state in the federation.

Atiku is making lofty pronises, signs of desperation and grand standing

lalasticlala:
They have come again. That's how politicians promise heaven and earth before elections, Once they win, the story changes. Just as PMB did. When he won, he started denying most of his promises.

Mynd44:

You cannot promise to restructure Nigeria in 6 months. Reason being that it is a constitutional change natter and it requires 2/3 of every state in the federation.

Atiku is making lofty pronises, signs of desperation and grand standing

AtikuNetwork:


Not everybody is like your slow and clueless dullard president. Atiku has thought this through so you guys should chill and let him get there first and watch him make things happen. You will all be pleasantly shocked. It is not rocket science even though incompetent buhari makes governance seem that way.

AtikuNetwork:


Not everybody is like your slow and clueless dullard president. Atiku has thought this through so you guys should chill and let him get there first and watch him make things happen. You will all be pleasantly shocked. It is not rocket science even though incompetent buhari makes governance seem that way.

wristbangle:


Your signature shows you are not only ardent but a zombie follower of atiku. This is how PMB made lofty promises to win last election yet denied ever making such statement during his campaigns. Same goes to GEJ, OBJ and other failed past leaders.

He spoke the truth but the "Toro-kobo" you received from that desperate deceiver has tempered your sense from reasoning.

AtikuNetwork:


Not everybody is like your slow and clueless dullard president. Atiku has thought this through so you guys should chill and let him get there first and watch him make things happen. You will all be pleasantly shocked. It is not rocket science even though incompetent buhari makes governance seem that way.

AtikuNetwork:


This is not a fake 'change' charade or gimmick bro. Atiku is not about propaganda like some fake change agents. He means business. He is a successful businessman who has experience under his belt. He has too much money to want to loot like some longerthroat past leaders. You will be alive to witness all the goodies he will deliver after he is sworn in next year. Go and write it down.

Mynd44:

And here you go.

You aim to be the mouth piece of Atiku here, the last thing you should be in is name calling and mud slinging.

That is a fast way to doscredit yourself.