Creation of anti-terrorist battalions, student loans… highlights of Tinubu’s manifesto

On Thursday, the manifesto for Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was unveiled.

The 80-page policy document, titled ‘Renewed Hope 2023 – Action Plan for a Better Nigeria’, was unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday.

Below are highlights of the manifesto:

DECENTRALISATION OF POWER

In the document, if elected, an administration overseen by Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as president and vice-president will collaborate with the national assembly and state governments to amend governance architecture.

It will also review the constitutional legislative lists to ensure that states are given greater control over certain critical matters. Focus areas will include crime prevention, prisons, stamp duties, and certain forms of taxation. 

ESTABLISHMENT OF ANTI-TERRORIST BATTALIONS

Tinubu said he will bring to the fore a “bold, no-nonsense crime prevention reform” which will see to the establishment of highly trained and disciplined anti-terrorist battalions (ABATTS) — identified as a special forces unit that will “seize the strategic and tactical initiative, giving terrorists, kidnappers and bandits no respite”.

He also said there will be an increase in the recruitment of police officers, while the force will be provided with high-tech equipment. VIP security will also be transferred to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

MORTGAGE AND CONSUMER CREDIT REFORM

With the support of state and local governments, the Tinubu administration aims to implement a new social housing policy which will provide pathways for the poorest Nigerians.

The housing mandate is divided into three parts: Granting low-interest-rate mortgages directly; guaranteeing qualified mortgages issued by banks; and purchasing mortgage from private banks.

INCREASING CULTIVATED LANDS

According to the document, only 35 percent of arable land in Nigeria is presently cultivated, and the Tinubu administration’s target is to increase the number to 65 percent in four years.

Initiatives such as the Anchor Borrower’s programme and agricultural credit guarantee scheme will be expanded to reach more rural communities. 

NEW ROADS, MORE RAILWAY PROJECTS

“As part of that highway system, we shall rehabilitate and expand existing federal roads and expressways. We shall accelerate the construction of new roads as well as the rehabilitation of existing ones via creative funding mechanisms, including accessing capital markets and PPP,” the manifesto reads.

The administration, if elected, also aims to prioritise the completion of critical ongoing national railway projects such as the Lagos-Kano, Benin-Abakaliki, Port Harcourt-Maiduguri, Lagos-Calabar, and Kano-Maradi. 

STUDENT LOANS, MODERN CURRICULUM

As contained in the Tinubu manifesto, a committee will be tasked with establishing a curriculum that more closely matches educational instruction with the actual and projected needs of the private sector. A modern standard curriculum will be developed and implemented in all primary and secondary schools throughout the country. 

If APC wins, Nigeria’s history will be reintroduced to classrooms in the country, while indigenous language courses will be compulsory for all children through the completion of secondary school.

Under a Tinubu administration, teaching will be a “rewarding” career option, while on tertiary education, the administration aims to institute a pilot student loan scheme. Institutions will charge more cost-reflective tuition fees, and with consideration for employment rates and other conditions, the loan programme will have a maximum borrowing limit and flexible repayment provisions.

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

Through its social and political empowerment plan, the administration aims to reserve at least three cabinet positions for persons under the age of 40, and six more positions for persons under 50. 

The government, if elected into power, will also pass a presidential directive requiring that at least 20 percent of political appointments to MDAs be reserved for qualified people under the age of 40.

The administration, if elected, also aims to cut the youth unemployment rate in half within four years, increase intergenerational, business mentoring and cooperation with two million volunteer entrepreneurs and professionals across the nation.