2027: Nigeria needs reset, not reforms — Makinde

Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has said Nigeria needs a fundamental reset rather than mere reforms to address its economic, security and governance challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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Makinde spoke on Sunday during a live  political programme on Jay FM 101.9 in Jos, Plateau State, ahead of the party’s presidential campaign flag-off scheduled for Monday in the city.

Explaining his position, the governor argued that reforms were insufficient where the problems in a system outweighed its strengths.

“When you talk about reform, it means that there is something good in the system that you want to improve upon. But when the bad outweighs the good, you need to take a different course of action.

“If what you have in the system is only about 20 per cent of what you expected, you don’t need to continue tweaking it. You need to press the reset button, shut it down and reboot it. That is what Nigeria needs at this point. Reform will not work in the present environment,” he said.

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The governor said he did not initially intend to become a politician but was motivated by concerns about the country’s future.

“I am not a career politician. I came into  politics because I believe that the future of millions of Nigerians is at stake. We have the potential to become the greatest Black nation on the face of the earth, but we must make the right decisions to achieve that destiny,” he said.

On the economy, Makinde identified it as the foremost priority of his proposed Reset Agenda, arguing that economic performance should be measured by improvements in the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.

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“The economy must work for everybody. We should not just be talking about foreign reserves, World Bank figures or inflation statistics. What matters is whether ordinary Nigerians can afford to feed themselves and meet their basic needs,” he said.

He added that economic progress should be assessed by its impact on households rather than statistical indicators alone.

“If the people on the streets are not feeling any improvement, then we cannot say that the economy is doing well. The real test of economic performance is the condition of the people,” he said.

The APM candidate said his proposed administration would prioritise skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, education and production, while creating an enabling environment for businesses to grow and generate employment.

“We must encourage our people to acquire skills and become entrepreneurs. We must invest in education and move towards intensive production. Government must provide an environment where businesses can thrive and young people can find meaningful employment,” he said.

On insecurity, Makinde advocated decentralising Nigeria’s security architecture through the establishment of state police, arguing that states should be allowed to adopt the arrangement when they are ready and necessary safeguards are in place.

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“I believe that we need to decentralise our security architecture. State police is one of the ways to achieve this, but it must be properly structured. States that are ready should be allowed to establish their own police formations, while others can come on board when they are prepared,” he said.

Recalling his engagement with former President Muhammadu Buhari on the issue in 2019, Makinde said the former president had expressed concerns about the ability of some states to finance their own police formations.

“When we approached President Buhari in 2019, one of the concerns he raised was that some states could not even pay workers’ salaries. He questioned how such states would be able to fund state police,” he said.

He explained that governors in the South-West subsequently adopted the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, as an alternative arrangement to strengthen security in the region.

“We decided to find a middle ground through Amotekun. The operatives gather intelligence and work with the federal security agencies. It has helped to improve security coordination in the region,” he said.

Makinde acknowledged concerns that state police could be abused by governors to intimidate  political opponents and ordinary citizens but insisted that appropriate safeguards could address such risks.

“We must not pretend that there are no concerns. Some people are worried that governors could use state police to oppress their opponents or intimidate citizens. Those concerns are valid, and we must put safeguards in place.

“But the fact that something can be abused does not mean we should not do it. We must design a system that ensures accountability and protects the rights of the people,” he said.

On Nigeria’s growing population, the governor warned that failure to provide opportunities for young people could worsen insecurity and social instability.

He said the country could have a population of more than 300 million, with over 70 per cent below the age of 34, stressing the need to create opportunities for the youthful population.

“If we fail to provide pathways for them to succeed, we should not be surprised when some of them turn to crime or other activities that threaten the stability of the country,” he said.

Makinde also cited Nigeria’s gradual transition to self-government and independence as an example of how different parts of the country could adopt new arrangements at different times.

“We had self-government in 1957 and independence in 1960. We did not achieve everything at once. In the same way, states do not necessarily have to establish state police at the same time. Those that are ready can begin, provided the necessary safeguards are in place,” he said.

Recalling his handling of the COVID-19 lockdown in Oyo State in 2020, the governor said he opposed a blanket shutdown because of the hardship it could impose on residents who depended on daily earnings for survival.

“I remember that during COVID-19, there was a proposal for a mandatory lockdown. I raised the concern that many people depended on what they earned each day to feed their families. If you locked them down completely, what would they eat that night or the following morning?” he said.

He maintained that decisions on public health and governance should be guided by science, data and logic, while taking into account the realities of ordinary citizens.

“We had to look at the situation and make decisions based on science, data and logic. We also had to understand the realities of our people. Some people were more worried about dying of hunger than the risk of contracting COVID-19,” he said.

On education, Makinde praised the legacy of the late nationalist and statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, particularly his free education policy, which he said expanded opportunities for generations of Nigerians.

“Chief Awolowo understood that education was an investment in the future. The cocoa farmers paid their taxes, and the government used the resources to provide free education for children.

“Those children grew up, became professionals and contributed to society. That is the kind of investment we must make in our people,” he said.

The governor said his proposed administration would also prioritise honesty, transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.

“The first thing I will do is to tell Nigerians the truth about the state of the country. People deserve to know where we are and what needs to be done.

“The next thing is accountability. If you have accountability, then the chances are that public resources will be used for the benefit of the people,” he said.