If given the chance to lead Nigeria in 2019, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has said, he will create three million jobs yearly, sell all four refineries and partially privatise the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
In his Policy Document titled, ‘Lets’ get Nigeria working again,’ Atiku also said he would cut corporate income tax in the country to be among the lowest in Africa.
The document which captures his plans from 2019 to 2025 focuses on jobs, infrastructure, poverty eradication, and human capital development.
According to the document, Atiku plans to raise Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) by almost 90 percent to $900 billion by 2025.
It said: “The State’s critical policy priority is to build a broad based, dynamic and competitive economy with a GDP of US$900 billion by 2025.”
He equally plans to raise foreign direct investment (FDI) to 2.5 percent of GDP.
On why he would sell the refineries, the former Vice President noted that the refineries with a total installed capacity of 450,000 barrels per day had operated sub-optimally over time.
According to him, they had struggled to produce at 10 per cent of installed capacity.
“We shall prioritise investment in nameplate capacity and ensure that Nigeria starts to refine 50 per cent of its current crude oil output of two million barrels per day by 2025.
“We shall privatise all four outstanding government-owned refineries to competent off-takers with mandates to produce agreed levels of refined output.
“We shall issue new licences for Greenfield investment in crude oil refining and allied activities.
“We shall introduce market-friendly fiscal and pricing policies,” the document said.
Touching on the crisis of unemployment in the country and what he will do if elected, Atiku noted that close to 16 million people are currently unemployed, nine million more than in 2014.
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He said: “Over two million new entrants join the labour force each year meaning the unemployed share of the labour force more than tripled in less than a decade: from 5.1% in 2010 to 18.8% in 2017
“Unemployment for women and young people is at 33%, 70% of unemployed youths are uneducated and unskilled.
“Creating jobs and economic opportunities for these people will be vital both for reducing the pool of easy recruits for violent groups and reducing underlying grievances that feed the conflict.”
On the way forward, he said if elected in 2019 will, his administration would “Launch a new, more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable national Entrepreneurship Development and Job Creation Programme.
“Target the creation of up to three million self and wage-paying employment opportunities in the private sector annually.
“Target all categories of youth, including graduates, early school leavers as well as the massive numbers of uneducated youth who are currently not in schools, employment or training.
“Create incubation centres, clusters and industrial/commercial hubs to provide a market place for MSMEs and SMPs.
“Champion the repositioning and streamlining the activities of the existing Federal and State Government Job Creation Agencies.”
The document also talked about building 5,000 kilometres of roads, and 5,000 kilometres of modern railway, restructuring to decongest the exclusive and the concurrent list in the Constitution, as well as breaking all barriers that prevent women from actualising their potential whether in adolescence or adulthood, among others.
