I’ll end banditry in 60 days if elected president

By Sunday Ani

Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Prince Adewole Adebayo has promised to wipe out banditry in every part of Nigeria within 60 days in office as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He assured that he would mark his 100 days in office with the end of the twin menace of insurgency and banditry in Nigeria.

“If the people in my government are not trying to be billionaires, the issue of banditry will be over within 60 days. Terrorism is a little complex but the Boko Haram fighters can be technically chased away from Nigerian soil within 100 days, that doesn’t mean they won’t be in the region. The strength of the Boko Haram insurgents and bandits is the ability to reinforce. That reinforcement ability is what makes it look like the Nigerian armed forces are not doing anything. They have a rapid reimbursement. If it takes you three weeks’ operation to dislodge them from the territory, they can use seven days to recalibrate and come back. So, within my first 100 days, Boko Haram insurgents will be heard from a long distance and the bandits, most likely, will be former bandits; that is if they are alive at all,” he stated.

The SDP presidential candidate, who made the promise during an online programme, ‘Symfoni,’ also noted that as a potential president, his vision about where Nigeria was headed and how it would get there was clear in his head because men and women of character and integrity that would help to actualise the new Nigeria he envisioned were already being sought.

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Unlike his contemporaries, he said he didn’t have the luxury of having a political godfather to smoothen his path as all of them were dead and expressed faith in God Almighty, who is the ultimate God-father.

“I am not lucky with godfatherism. Unfortunately, all my godfathers are dead. Aminu Kano, if he was alive, would have been my godfather. Michael Okpara would have been another godfather. Mbonu Ojike, it was he who said the government should serve the people. He would have been my godfather if he was alive. If I had a godfather, I wouldn’t be running. The people that would have been godfathers are the ones running against me now,” he said.

Adebayo promised to announce his ministers publicly two weeks after the elections would have been won and lost, not only for confirmation by the National Assembly, but also for further scrutiny by the public.

“I will name my ministers two weeks after the elections. I will assign portfolios to the ministers and allow Nigerians to ask questions, interrogate and judge them. I will meet with the service chiefs to hear from them what their challenges are and how they can be tackled. As a potential winner of the coming election, I am already speaking with them. I don’t need to wait till when I would be sworn in before taking such action. I will swing into action the moment the election is won and lost,” he said.

Adebayo dismissed the President’s marching orders to the Minister of Education to resolve the Federal Government/Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) crisis, saying “It’s typical of the president; it is not unusual from the president to allow issues to fester before taking decision. I don’t want to be a president like that. It’s better not to be a president at all than to allow a crisis to fester for this long. Anybody who knows the president would know that he is a very good and decent man, but I think he is on the wrong job because this job requires you to know things and take action before they happen and if they happen, to react swiftly. It is my hope that the matter is resolved. But even at that, by the time I assume office, I will cement it so that for the next 25 years, there won’t be any crisis between the ASUU and the Federal Government because I will ensure there is autonomy for the sector. Remember that I went to America where I spent 10 days, and in the course of meetings, we reached an agreement with the black historical universities and colleges to come and assist Nigerian universities. At least, 2000 American professors will come to Nigeria on sabbatical and exchange to help us build up. Even if ASUU isn’t on strike, they don’t have enough equipment to produce quality graduates.”