APC Unveils ‘From Reforms To Prosperity’ Manifesto, Targets Improved Living Standards

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that its manifesto for the 2027 presidential election will focus on consolidating the sweeping economic reforms undertaken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and translating the gains into tangible improvements in the living standards of Nigerians.

The party said its new policy document, themed “From Reforms to Prosperity”, would build on the foundations of macroeconomic stability already established by the administration, with greater emphasis on expanding economic opportunities, improving security, strengthening healthcare, boosting agricultural production and accelerating industrial development.

Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Dele Alake, disclosed this on Tuesday in his welcome remarks at a media pre-sensitisation event ahead of the official launch of the party’s manifesto for the 2027 presidential election.

Alake said President Tinubu had demonstrated exceptional political courage by implementing far-reaching structural reforms that successive administrations avoided because of their potential political consequences, insisting that the policies had begun to yield measurable results across critical sectors of the economy.

He maintained that the next phase of the administration’s economic programme would focus on ensuring that the benefits of the reforms increasingly reached ordinary Nigerians through job creation, improved public services, expanded access to finance and greater opportunities for productive economic activities.

According to him, the manifesto’s theme reflects the administration’s determination to move beyond the difficult initial phase of economic restructuring towards sustained growth and shared prosperity.

“If you look at the manifesto that we’re unveiling, it spells out, even from the title, ‘From Reforms to Prosperity’. It’s indicative of what the government has been doing in the last three and a half years, putting in place reforms, executing projects and policies that have culminated in ensuring the macroeconomic stability of this country,” he said.

Alake described the APC as Nigeria’s most organised and purposeful political party, arguing that its decision to clearly articulate its programmes and priorities ahead of the 2027 elections demonstrated its commitment to policy-driven governance.

He said the administration’s record in the last three and a half years provided a compelling basis for seeking another mandate from Nigerians.

The minister challenged critics of the government’s economic policies to an open public debate, maintaining that no civilian administration since independence had undertaken structural reforms of comparable scope and intensity.

“Since 1960 till date, or let me say till 2023, no civilian administration in this country had embarked on massive, comprehensive, purposive structural reforms spanning all strata of society, across all sectors and touching every endeavour of Nigerian society like the Tinubu government that we have in place. None.

“And if there’s any, point out to me, and I challenge you to the public debate,” he declared.

Alake, a veteran journalist, said his assessment of the administration’s achievements was informed not merely by his membership of the government but also by his experience in observing and analysing Nigeria’s political and economic development.

Describing himself as a “participant observer”, he insisted that the scale of the reforms and the determination with which they were being implemented distinguished the Tinubu administration from its predecessors.

He particularly praised the President for prioritising long-term national economic interests over short-term political considerations, citing the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market as examples of difficult but necessary decisions.

According to him, the petrol subsidy regime had become a major drain on public resources and created opportunities for economic distortions and abuses through smuggling, over-invoicing and other irregular practices.

He said removing the subsidy required considerable political will because powerful interests had benefited from the previous arrangement.

The minister similarly argued that the former multiple foreign exchange windows had encouraged arbitrage and enabled individuals with privileged access to foreign currency to make substantial profits without contributing meaningfully to productive economic activities.

He said the administration’s decision to reform the foreign exchange system was intended to address those distortions and promote greater transparency and efficiency.

“No other leader in the history of this country has looked at the structural economic problems of this country and decided to take the bull by the horns and confront those problems, regardless of their political consequences,” Alake said.

He added that President Tinubu had demonstrated the qualities of a statesman by placing national interests above personal political calculations.

“He does not think of self. He thinks of the nation, and that’s what a statesman should do.

“Ordinary politicians will think of the next election and avoid contentious policies that probably could impair their political aspirations, but not President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because he puts the nation ahead of self,” he stated.

Alake also disclosed that a group of prominent businessmen from a part of the country generally perceived as politically opposed to the President recently approached him to facilitate a meeting with Tinubu.

According to the minister, the businessmen wanted to publicly acknowledge the positive impact of the administration’s economic policies on their businesses and express appreciation for the reforms.

“Just three days ago, some group of billionaire businessmen approached me from a particular section of the country, a section of the country that is assumed to be anti-President.

“They approached me and told me to get them an appointment to see the President. They wanted to come as a group to see the President and publicly acknowledge and commend his efforts in revamping the economy, and to tell him that they have made gains, tremendous gains, from the policies that he has introduced,” he disclosed.

Responding to criticisms that the administration’s economic policies were disproportionately benefiting wealthy Nigerians, Alake argued that a thriving private sector was essential to job creation and economic expansion.

He maintained that policies supporting investment, entrepreneurship and business growth would ultimately create opportunities for ordinary Nigerians.

The minister, however, stressed that the administration’s reforms were not designed exclusively for large businesses, pointing to social interventions aimed at easing households’ financial pressures.

He cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as a practical example of how the administration’s policies were translating into direct benefits for families.

According to him, the student loan programme, alongside the N20,000 monthly upkeep allowance available to eligible beneficiaries, had reduced the financial burden of tertiary education on parents and guardians.

“Students now have loans. On top of that, they now have ₦20,000 every month as welfare.

“Now, if that is not a microeconomic benefit, then you tell me the definition of a microeconomic benefit.

“Go and ask parents. Go and ask those who sponsor students in tertiary institutions. The loans and the welfare allowances have reduced their burden, and that is a direct microeconomic benefit,” he said.

Alake insisted that the administration’s economic reforms were already producing benefits at both the macroeconomic and household levels, adding that the 2027 manifesto would provide a framework for expanding their reach.

He listed healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, industrialisation, security and solid minerals development among the areas where the party intended to deepen existing interventions.

Turning to his ministry, Alake disclosed that Federal Government revenue from the solid minerals sector had increased dramatically since President Tinubu assumed office, rising from N6 billion in 2023 to more than N101 billion in the first nine months of 2026.

Providing a breakdown, he said revenue increased to N38 billion in 2024 and N70 billion in 2025 before exceeding N101 billion between January and September 2026, according to figures he attributed to the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The minister described the growth as evidence of the success of the administration’s reforms to reposition solid minerals as a major contributor to economic diversification and government revenue.

“When I resumed there in 2023, the total revenue that that sector, critical sector, generated was ₦6 billion, and with the introduction of those creative policies and reforms, within one year, by 2024, it jumped to ₦38 billion.

“By 2025, it jumped to ₦70 billion. And just recently, the Central Bank figures reported that within the first nine months of this year, it climbed over ₦101 billion. And we are still counting,” he said.

He attributed the development to deliberate policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and efforts to attract investment into the sector.

“This is not a fluke. It is not happenstance. It’s not by accident. These are products of meticulous, exhaustive policy enunciation, conceptualisation, execution and monitoring for the benefit of Nigeria,” he said.

Alake added that the administration had considerably improved Nigeria’s international profile as a destination for solid minerals investment, noting that the sector was increasingly attracting interest at international conferences and investment forums.

He recalled that before the current administration, the country’s mineral resources had received limited international attention despite their enormous potential.

According to him, the policies introduced since 2023 had helped reposition the sector as an important pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Federal Government’s economic diversification strategy.

The minister said the panel discussions at the pre-sensitisation event would provide opportunities to examine the manifesto’s major pillars and explain how the party intended to consolidate the gains of the reforms.

He urged Nigerians to judge the administration by the foundations it had laid and the prospects for greater economic development in the years ahead.

Alake further maintained that continuity in governance was necessary to ensure that the reforms matured and delivered their full potential, arguing that abandoning the policy direction midway could undermine the progress already recorded.

He expressed optimism that by 2031, the benefits of the administration’s economic policies would have become sufficiently widespread to secure lasting public support for the reforms.

“You don’t change a winning horse. The APC government is a winning horse. You cannot afford to change it.

“And in the President’s words, we have crossed the Red Sea. By 2031, by the grace of God, all these reforms would have fully germinated, manifested their results, and Nigerians will become so used to good governance and economic progress they will never allow any incoming government to reverse the gains,” he declared.