By Kabir Aregbesola 

President Muhammadu Buhari must end well, because he is the product of the longest running, successful and unprecedented north –south progressive alliance. A fusion premised on delivering for this country a presidency for the poor and silent majority. On this mandate, this presidency has stood itself out, unleashing the boldest socio-economic programmes this country has ever seen, also arguably the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

On the social front, over one million youths have so far been engaged under the N-Power programme. Over 5.5million school children fed through the Home Grown School Feeding Programme. Over one million poor families supported through the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme. Over 2.5million traders and market women supported through the TraderMoni and Market Moni programmes. All these are targeted at eliminating extreme poverty.

On the economic front; over 3.1million farmers have been supported through the famous Anchor Borrows Programme to ramp up local food production and preserve foreign exchange. The price of fertilizer was crashed from pre 2015 price of N11,000to N5,500supporting millions of farmers and reviving dozens of local fertilizer mixing companies; over 400kms of rail infrastructure is being delivered with the Lagos-Ibadan rail service, a failed project that has survived many administrations before now, which was commissioned just a few a days ago. Over 1000 kms of road infrastructure is being delivered with the iconic Second Niger Bridge now over 60% completed and on course for completion by 2022, among many more pro-poor, inclusive, populist and progressive programmes championed or completed by this government. Lest we forget, all these were achieved with dwindling crude oil revenue and a devastating global pandemic.

So, when this president finishes, with the best of efforts, the development work still won’t be enough. This is because the rots of decades can’t be reversed completely in eight years. Therefore, the legacy of progressive, pro-poor and inclusive development we seek for our people is not an eight-year play, it’s a 40-year one. If we agree, that this is a long term play, then we must realise that the sustainability of this north-south progressive alliance is the single most important political arrangement and test for the current leadership of the All Progressive Congress, for the sake of our children, grandchildren and the nation.

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By 2050, just 30 years from now, Nigeria’s population is estimated to hit about 500m. We have a ballooning a population and dwindling revenue, assuming that some of us might not be here by then, certainly however, our children, grandchildren will be. Even if they were to leave this country, they will be second class citizen wherever they go, so we must therefore face our current challenges with the boldest of visions and best resources at our disposal. There is no other option.

For us to deliver mass prosperity and a stable social, economic and political future, we must see beyond 2023.We must rise beyond our selfish interests to a bigger and bolder vision for our children, grandchildren. We must rise beyond the divisions of self-interest, ethnicity and religion and such other narrow self-serving considerations to solve the bigger problem, poverty.  Poverty of the mind and of the pocket ravaging the social fabric of our nation on all fronts; productivity, values and security; poverty that knows no tribe or religion.  We must rise beyond our divisions to deliver functional education for all, affordable healthcare for all, safe and secure homeland and many more progressive solutions through the bold progressive and political platform, the All Progressives Congress.

To deliver this legacy of progressive and inclusive development the nation needs, change must start from within. The All Progressives Congress, which produced the current president and must produce the next one, must be led by the boldest of progressive values that see beyond just 2023. If we are to truly secure a long term legacy of inclusive and populist development for our people and for President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressive Congress, must champion from within, internal democracy, bold youth engagement, fiscal federalism, fiscal independence of local councils all set within a clear and well defined progressive charter. This is the great test for now.

Nigeria is a young country, with 50% of population aged between 30-45 years. To achieve our goals of delivering a long term progressive legacy, sustaining north-south progressive alignment and produce the next president, the All Progressive Congress, must rejig its relationship with the most energetic constituency of our nation, the youth. The APC must rally leadership and leverage the energy of the younger generation to deliver Nigeria as the model of development for Africa.

Nigeria is great and it has so been for centuries. In this land, our people ran a civilization that built paved roads, street lights and massive moats and giant walls before encountering the colonizers. In this land, we ran a civilization that went as far as the fringes of Libya, and had an ambassadorial post with the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. In this land, are civilizations that thrived as early as the best civilization we read about. In this land, we built the first television station in the southern hemisphere. In this land, we produced one of the most successful apprenticeship traditions the world has seen. In this land we produced groundnut pyramids. In this land, we produced a doctor who operated on a baby from the womb and delivered her successfully. Our forebears were great, we have greatness built in us; we must rise above our primordial sentiments to unleash our greatness for the sake of our people, our children, our nation, our race and for the world.

In summary, this president must end well. We must sustain north–south progressive alliance. This is the time to mainstream the younger generation into politics and governance for our long term survival.

• Kabir is a Member of the Progressive Hub Coordination and Planning