By Jude Opara
A presidential aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mohammed Hayatu-Deen has decried the level of underdevelopment in the country, despite the huge human and natural resources the country is blessed with.
Hayatu-Deen, a development economist of repute who spoke at a news conference to formally announce his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election regretted that successive administrations have failed to fully take advantage of the wealth of the nation to improve on the welfare of the people.
He equally said that over time, Nigeria has continued to make wrong leadership choices, which he said is one cardinal reason the leaders often times don’t care about the feelings of citizenry, with the resultant rise in the cost of living.
According to him, the country is at crossroads which presupposes that absolute care must be taken in the next election to elect people who have the genuine intention to work for the people and the nation.
“For too long, we have made the wrong choices, tolerated weak systems, and watched as the gap between our potential and our reality has widened. Today, that gap is no longer abstract, it is felt in the rising cost of living, in the insecurity that threatens lives and livelihoods, and in the growing sense of uncertainty about the future.
“Everyday, the signs around us suggest that we are drifting too close to that decline. The country that we love continues to pile pressures on everyday Nigerians, while the promise of a better life increasingly feels out of reach.
Food prices continue to rise. Petrol prices continue to climb. For millions of families, the simple act of getting through the day has become a test of endurance rather than a pursuit of opportunity”.
On the rising spate of insecurity across the country, Hayatu-Deen decried the uncertainties Nigerians are daily faced with, to the extent that most of them don’t even survive the incessant attacks.
“Everyday Nigerians are not only burdened economically, they are also increasingly unsafe and insecure. In too many parts of our country, communities live under the shadow of fear, uncertain of what tomorrow may bring.
“Only this week, we have seen Boko Haram take 416 hostages in Borno, my home state. When it cuts this close to home, it only reaffirms to me that every Nigerian life matters. In some cases, citizens now bear the direct cost of that insecurity, paying ransoms to secure their own safety, a reality that speaks to a deeper failure of protection and leadership.
“This is not the Nigeria that we were promised. And it is definitely not the Nigeria that we deserve. And it must not be the Nigeria that we accept. That is why I have joined other leaders in the ADC, to fix the problems that have been allowed to get progressively worse”.
The renowned commercial and investment banker said beyond the boardroom and government, he has also supported efforts to ensure that children, especially those affected by insecurity, are not denied access to education and a future of dignity.
“That is why I seek to lead the mission of the African Democratic Congress to build a Nigeria that works, and to offer a unifying vision for our country at a time of deep division. Nigerians are tired of the same old politics, where promises are made loudly and broken quietly, where leadership is consumed by factionalism instead of being focused on results”.
On the impending struggle for the ticket of the ADC with notable opposition from the likes of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, he said the party will decide on whom to support based on the new Electoral Act. He equally promised to support whoever the party eventually settles for.
