By Lateef Ibrahim
Frontline presidential aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mohammed Hayatu-Deen has unveiled an ambitious jobs and economic renewal vision aimed at tackling unemployment, insecurity, and the rising cost of living in Nigeria, declaring that “jobs must become the centre of national policy again”.
Speaking on at the Mohammed Hayatu-Deen Townhall organised by Team Rebuild in Abuja, Hayatu-Deen said Nigeria’s worsening economic conditions and growing insecurity require experienced leadership focused on restoring productivity, rebuilding confidence, and creating opportunities for millions of Nigerians, especially young people.
Addressing party stakeholders, supporters, professionals, youth groups, and community leaders at the event, the former banker and economist stated that sustainable national stability cannot be achieved without large-scale job creation.
According to him, “Jobs change lives. Jobs reduce poverty. Jobs put food on the tables of Nigerian families. Jobs give young people hope and dignity.
“Countries that create jobs at scale build stronger economies and more stable societies.
‘Countries that fail to create opportunities often become trapped in cycles of insecurity and social unrest”, he said.
The presidential aspirant, according to a statement from his media office, outlined plans for a National Jobs Programme that would focus on guaranteed public works schemes in some of Nigeria’s poorest local government areas, tax incentives for businesses that create jobs, and targeted economic interventions designed to expand enterprise and productivity across the country.
Hayatu-Deen, who previously managed 145 companies across nineteen northern states through the New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), said his decades of experience in business, banking, and institutional reform have consistently been guided by one principle: expanding opportunity for ordinary Nigerians.
He stressed that Nigeria’s economic crisis is no longer abstract, but one directly affecting families struggling with rising food prices, inflation, unemployment, and insecurity.
His words, “For millions of Nigerians, surviving the month has now become more important than planning for the future.
“Nigerians do not just need statistics and speeches. They need real jobs, in real communities, paying real wages”, he said.
Hayatu-Deen also linked economic decline to insecurity, arguing that unemployment and hopelessness continue to fuel criminality and violent extremism across the country. He pledged that his administration would combine stronger security enforcement with aggressive economic expansion and job creation.
The town hall also witnessed a strong show of support from stakeholders within the party, including a cross section of stakeholders and members of the FCT ADC State Working Committee, who endorsed Hayatu-Deen’s presidential aspiration and commended his focus on competence, economic recovery, and national unity.
Many speakers at the event described Hayatu-Deen as a credible alternative capable of repositioning Nigeria’s economy and rebuilding public confidence in governance.
Hayatu-Deen reaffirmed his commitment to building the ADC into a national political force capable of winning the 2027 general election.
Nigerians, according to him, are demanding leadership built on ideas, discipline, competence, and measurable results rather than “old politics and recycled failures.”
“Nigeria cannot continue on this path,” he said, adding, “This moment must be about solutions for the Nigerian people, not endless political calculations.”
