Nigerians are poorer and less secure today than three years ago, according to Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, a presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He made the remarks on Thursday in Abuja during an engagement with the party's press corps, where he outlined his leadership vision ahead of the 2027 elections. Hayatu-Deen cited rising food and fuel prices, worsening insecurity, and eroding public confidence in economic management as key markers of national decline. He said the gap between Nigeria's potential and its reality is now felt in daily struggles, with millions enduring hardship rather than opportunity.
The ADC candidate referenced recent events in the North-East, stating that Boko Haram took 416 hostages in Borno State only that week. He described the incident as deeply personal, calling it a reminder that every Nigerian life matters. Communities, he said, live under constant fear, with some citizens even paying ransoms for their safety—a sign, he added, of leadership and protection failures. Hayatu-Deen argued that while macroeconomic reforms were necessary, their poor sequencing worsened the nation's hardships. This, he said, led to a loss of confidence in economic stewardship.
He advocated for disciplined, people-centred leadership that prioritises accountability and empathy. Drawing from his career, he highlighted work in education for vulnerable children. Leaders, he said, must reflect society and feel its pains. He stressed doing the greatest good for the greatest number, using existing solutions. He urged the media to demand clarity and hold leaders accountable, welcoming scrutiny for his own campaign.
Mohammed Hayatu-Deen claims Nigerians are worse off and less secure than three years ago, yet offers no data to support the comparison, leaving his central assertion unverified. He highlights the 416 Boko Haram hostages in Borno as a recent atrocity, but does not explain how his leadership would prevent such incidents where current efforts have failed. His call for disciplined economic management rings hollow without specific examples of past reforms he would have implemented differently. The promise of empathy and accountability remains abstract, given only broad references to supporting vulnerable children and welcoming media scrutiny.
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