By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has pledged to make the protection of lives and property its top priority if President Bola Tinubu secures re-election in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

The ruling party also promised to recruit an additional 28,000 military personnel and 50,000 police officers as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.

The commitments were disclosed on Tuesday in Abuja during the presentation of the APC’s 2027 election manifesto, themed Transiting from Reforms to Shared Prosperity.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, who also serves as Deputy Director of the Presidential Campaign Council’s Directorate of Manifesto and Policy Development, outlined the party’s plans for a possible second term.

According to her, the administration intends to build a safer country while improving living standards, expanding energy and infrastructure development, promoting economic growth and ensuring accountable governance.

As part of its security strategy, the APC promised to complete the establishment and equipping of four new Army divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City.

The party also pledged to sustain intelligence-driven military operations against insurgents and kidnapping networks, with the aim of dismantling their operational bases.

Addressing the growing threat of criminal activities in forests, the APC said it would deploy trained Forest Guards, Agro-Rangers and Mining Marshals to protect farming communities, agricultural areas, grazing routes, forest reserves and mineral resources.

Oduwole said the administration’s ambition was to make Nigeria a secure environment where citizens could pursue their aspirations without fear.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, urged Nigerians to examine the APC’s previous and current manifestoes and assess the party based on its achievements since assuming office in 2023.

He acknowledged that the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration had placed considerable pressure on households, stressing that the difficulties faced by ordinary Nigerians should not be ignored.

“Nobody should have to pretend that life is easy at the moment,” he said.

However, Gbajabiamila defended the President’s decision to remove the fuel subsidy and reform the foreign exchange market, arguing that the previous systems had placed significant pressure on the country’s economy and limited its ability to invest in development.

He maintained that Tinubu took difficult decisions because leaving the problems unresolved would have continued to undermine Nigeria’s economic future.

According to him, the President demonstrated leadership by prioritising long-term national development over immediate political considerations.

“The difference between a politician and a leader is that while a politician thinks about the next election, a leader thinks about the next generation,” Gbajabiamila stated.

Gbajabiamila explained that the party’s 2027 manifesto is built around four major pillars: a secure and resilient nation, improved and affordable living standards, energy and infrastructure development alongside economic growth, and effective and accountable governance.

These priorities are linked to the eight focus areas of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The manifesto also identifies four foundations for achieving its objectives: macroeconomic stability, the rule of law, institutional capacity and national cohesion.

Among the targets outlined in the document is increasing Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity towards 10,000 megawatts by 2031.

The party also aims to achieve annual economic growth of six per cent while reducing youth unemployment and the number of out-of-school children by half.

In the education sector, the APC promised to recruit an additional 20,000 teachers, while expanding access to health insurance from more than 23 million beneficiaries to cover 40 per cent of Nigerians.

It further plans to ensure that at least 90 per cent of primary healthcare centres are fully functional, compared with the current 53 per cent.

On housing, the manifesto outlines plans to work towards providing 200,000 homes through the Tinubu Mass Social Housing Scheme, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and licensed private developers.

The party also pledged to install seven million additional electricity meters to improve access to reliable power supply and address metering challenges.

Gbajabiamila said the manifesto would include mechanisms for monitoring the government’s performance, with public reporting of targets, responsibilities and progress.

He explained that Nigerians would be able to assess areas where the administration had fulfilled its promises and identify those where it had fallen short.

The Chief of Staff added that the APC would seek another mandate in 2027 based on its record and commitment to delivering better living conditions.

Minister of Solid Minerals Development and spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, praised Tinubu for implementing major economic reforms despite the political consequences.

Alake specifically highlighted the removal of the fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market, describing them as difficult but necessary decisions to reposition the economy.

He argued that no Nigerian leader since independence had introduced reforms as far-reaching as those implemented by the Tinubu administration.

Alake challenged critics who disagreed with his assessment to engage him in a public debate, insisting that his position was based on his experience and observations.

He also alleged that powerful individuals had benefited from the former fuel subsidy system and were resisting efforts to end it.

According to him, some individuals with connections to the Central Bank of Nigeria and senior government officials previously had access to foreign exchange at favourable official rates, allowing them to accumulate wealth without making meaningful contributions to production.

He argued that the previous foreign exchange arrangement contributed to pressure on the naira and instability in the currency market.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, who chaired the APC’s 2027 manifesto committee, said Nigeria had recorded positive economic growth since Tinubu assumed office in 2023.

However, he acknowledged that the administration still had significant work to do to ensure that the benefits of economic reforms reached ordinary Nigerians.

Bagudu said the President understood that economic progress could not be considered complete until hardworking citizens and vulnerable households began to experience meaningful improvements in their living conditions.

He recalled an incident during Tinubu’s presidential campaign in Zamfara State, where the President reportedly directed a State House official to provide financial assistance to a struggling carrot seller.

Bagudu cited the incident as an example of Tinubu’s concern for ordinary Nigerians and his determination to address their economic difficulties.

He added that the President remained focused on improving the country’s prosperity rather than concentrating solely on the next election.

Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, also defended the administration’s economic policies against criticism that only a limited number of Nigerians were benefiting from the reforms.

He argued that public infrastructure projects, including road construction, were accessible to citizens regardless of their political affiliations or financial status.

Using the Abuja-Kano highway as an example, Idris said Nigerians could benefit from government infrastructure without having to prove their political loyalty.

He also pointed to improvements in security along the Abuja-Kaduna Road, claiming that travellers could now make journeys without the same level of fear of banditry, kidnapping and terrorist attacks previously experienced along the route.

The minister further highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying approximately 1.6 million young Nigerians had benefited from the student loan programme.

He maintained that the initiative demonstrated how government policies could support citizens from different backgrounds without discrimination.

Idris also noted that Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list and the reported decline in headline and food inflation were signs of progress.

He expressed confidence that the country’s economic reforms would gradually produce greater prosperity by 2031.

The minister urged Nigerians and members of the media to prioritise national interests, regardless of their political opinions about the Tinubu administration.

“You do not have to like the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. You do not have to like him, but all of us must like Nigeria,” he said.

The APC’s proposed manifesto is expected to form the foundation of its campaign as Tinubu seeks another presidential mandate in 2027.