2027: Anyone Promising To End Hunger, Insecurity Completely Is Lying – Yari

The 2027 director-general of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, has said that no individual can single-handedly resolve all the challenges confronting Nigeria, describing such promises as unrealistic and misleading.

Yari, who defended the policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said the administration was making progress in addressing hunger, rising food prices and insecurity, despite the difficulties facing the country.

He stated this during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji (Dr.) Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, where the APC delegation sought the monarch’s prayers on their move for Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

The visit came a day after the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) flag off its presidential campaign in Bauchi, where its candidate, Eng. Seyi Makinde, promised that his ‘Reset Nigeria’ agenda would address the country’s economic and security challenges.

Reacting to political promises of an immediate solution to Nigeria’s problems, Yari maintained that no government anywhere in the world had been able to eliminate all the difficulties confronting its citizens.

“Challenges exist everywhere. Governments across the world face different problems. Even in countries like the United States, there are attacks on students in schools and killings in marketplaces, but they manage their affairs internally, whereas we tend to publicise ours,” he said.

He cited France, where nationwide protests had occurred, as another example of countries grappling with social and economic challenges, stressing that every society had its own peculiar problems and ways of managing them.

According to him, no government can completely eliminate the high cost of living, but responsible leadership should focus on introducing measures that gradually improve people’s living conditions.

Yari recalled that foreign rice sold for seven shillings in 1979 was initially rejected by some Nigerians, but gradually became acceptable as economic conditions changed.

He said the price of a bag of rice had risen to about N110,000 under the Tinubu administration but claimed that government interventions had contributed to a reduction in prices.

“Today, a bag of Dangote rice sells for between N58,000 and N60,000, compared with N110,000 previously. Other food items, including millet, sorghum and beans, are also experiencing price reductions,” he said.

The former governor of Zamfara State argued that the administration’s interventions were gradually improving access to food, particularly for Nigerians with limited financial resources.

He challenged critics of the government to explain what alternative measures they would introduce to address hunger beyond the steps already being taken by the Tinubu administration.

“If someone says there is hunger, ask them what specific actions they would take, different from what we are doing, to effectively address the problem,” he said.

On insecurity, Yari claimed that the Tinubu administration had committed more resources to the security sector than previous governments, with investments running into trillions of naira.

He said the government was providing security agencies with funding and equipment to strengthen their operations, adding that its strategic interventions were contributing to efforts to tackle the country’s security challenges.

“To the best of my knowledge, from the Jonathan administration through the Buhari administration to the present government, no administration has committed as much funding, running into trillions of naira, to security and the provision of equipment for security personnel as the Tinubu administration,” he said.

Yari, however, acknowledged that the security crisis could not be resolved overnight, noting that the country had battled insurgency and other forms of criminality for nearly two decades.

He traced the origins of the current security challenges to the Boko Haram insurgency, which he said had evolved over the years into banditry and other security threats.

According to him, successive administrations had made efforts to address the situation, expressing optimism that the country would eventually overcome the challenges.

The APC campaign director also appealed to Nigerians to support Tinubu’s second-term ambition, arguing that the principle of political power rotation and fairness should guide the country’s democratic process.

He recalled that political leaders from the South, particularly Tinubu, played significant roles in supporting former President Muhammadu Buhari, who served two terms in office.

Yari said it was therefore appropriate for Nigerians to support Tinubu to complete two terms, just as Buhari did.

“Tinubu provided significant support to our brother from the North, Muhammadu Buhari, enabling him to serve for two terms. The Hausa people say that reciprocating a good gesture is a mark of honour. Therefore, let us not allow ourselves to be misled by confusion,” he said.

He maintained that Nigeria’s unity and stability had been strengthened by the practice of fairness and equitable power-sharing, urging political leaders to sustain the arrangement.

Yari explained that the APC delegation’s visits to traditional rulers across the country were aimed at seeking their prayers and blessings for Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

He further expressed confidence that Nigeria would overcome its security and economic difficulties, urging citizens to remain patient and support the administration to consolidate its ongoing efforts.

Responding, the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Dr. Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, thanked the delegation for the visit and offered prayers for an end to the challenges confronting the country.