What Atiku Told Peter Obi and Northern Delegation During Crucial Meeting

As coalition talks heat up ahead of the 2027 presidential election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, met with northern political leaders from across the 19 northern states on Thursday.
According to reports, hundreds of political figures from Abuja came together for the event, which was organized by the secretariat of the newly formed coalition and was sponsored by the National Political Consultative Group (NPCG) North.

Atiku Abubakar, a prominent supporter of opposition unity, reflected on his tenure alongside former President Olusegun Obasanjo during his speech.

In particular, he recalled how they responded to the Boko Haram insurgency, mentioning the directive given to military chiefs to either put an end to the insurgency or step down.

“This ultimatum was successful. In just a few weeks or months, the insurgency was crushed. It was finished by the time we left. I was totally taken aback. However, when we departed, it reappeared,” Atiku said, stressing that the problem was not entirely resolved.

Additionally, Atiku emphasized the administration’s initiatives to address police shortcomings, bringing up the notable underpolicing in Nigeria as documented by the UN.

“I told the president that Nigeria is woefully underpoliced,” What can we do, he asked? I informed him that there were other police colleges that had been shut down throughout the states and recommended that they be reopened with additional policemen. And that’s exactly what we did,” Atiku remembered.

Atiku continued by outlining how the Obasanjo government adopted a novel strategy for acquiring police weapons, avoiding onerous contracting processes and speaking with police personnel and diplomats directly to obtain necessary equipment.

But in spite of these initiatives, Atiku pointed out that Nigeria still has a terrible police-to-population ratio, with 340,000 officers charged with protecting 240 million people. He drew attention to the sharp contrast with Egypt, which has one million police officers for every 100 million citizens.

Atiku emphasized the necessity of thorough reforms in Nigeria’s security sector, saying, “These are challenges we must face head-on.”

Atiku then turned to education, considering the measures implemented to increase access, especially in the North, under the Obasanjo government. He referenced the Universal Basic Education Act, which mandated that all Nigerian children receive free primary and secondary education, as well as the implementation of an education tax to fund educational programs.

Read Also: Atiku, Peter Obi, Amaechi, & Other Top Coalition Leaders Hold Crucial Expanded Meeting in Abuja

While describing a trip to Daura, President Muhammadu Buhari’s hometown, where he saw the scope of the Almajiri situation, Atiku too broke down in tears.

“I almost cried,” he remarked. There were throngs of Almajiri children on the flight from Katsina airport to Daura. Many of our early republic leaders attended the erstwhile Katsina College, which is located here. Almajirai—young lads in their twenties, thirties, and forties, from Katsina to Daura and back again—have taken over it today, he claimed.

“These are highly important problems. They are about our kids and grandkids as well as us.

“Thank God I’ve lived my life,” I say to my kids. But you and your children are the focus of this. These difficulties must be addressed.