News
I’ll Make Major Roads a National Priority If Elected – Atiku
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to make the rehabilitation and maintenance of Nigeria’s major economic road corridors a national priority if elected in the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku made the commitment in a response to a message from one Hassan Yakubu, who urged him to make the state of Nigeria’s deteriorating roads a major issue in his campaign.
Yakubu, drawing from his experience transporting goods across the country, listed several major routes, including Numan-Jalingo, Dukku-Darazo, Dikko-Minna, Pambegua-Zaria, Akwanga-Jos, Abuja-Lokoja, Bida-Lapai, Kontagora-Makera, East-West Road, Onitsha-Owerri, Abeokuta-Ibadan, Benin-Ore and Benin-Auchi.
He argued that the roads serve as critical links between farms, markets, factories and consumers, warning that their poor condition was increasing transport costs and contributing to higher prices of goods.
Responding, Atiku said he understood the impact of deteriorating infrastructure, noting that he had personally travelled on some of the affected roads and was also a farmer.
“I am a farmer myself, so this is personal to me too. I also developed an interest in mass transportation early in life, and over the decades I have watched our transport infrastructure deteriorate significantly,” he said.
According to him, the consequences of bad roads extend beyond motorists and transport operators, as the additional costs eventually affect consumers.
“The driver pays. The trader pays. The farmer pays. But ultimately, the ordinary Nigerian buying food in the market pays,” Atiku said.
He described transport infrastructure as a critical component of economic activity, arguing that its condition determines how quickly agricultural produce reaches markets, the profitability of businesses and the cost of moving people and goods.
Atiku also said poor roads could have security implications, as stranded or slow-moving vehicles on isolated routes could leave travellers more vulnerable to criminal attacks.
He pledged that, if elected, his administration would identify roads carrying significant volumes of agricultural produce, manufactured goods, raw materials and passengers and prioritise their rehabilitation.
“Let me state my commitment clearly: if elected President, the rehabilitation and maintenance of Nigeria’s critical economic corridors will be treated as a national economic priority, not as an afterthought,” he said.
The former vice president also criticised what he described as the continued abandonment of existing infrastructure while governments announce new and expensive projects.
He said his proposed approach would involve building new infrastructure where necessary, urgently rehabilitating deteriorating facilities and maintaining existing assets.
“Infrastructure under my leadership will not be about monuments to government. It will be about making life easier for Nigerians,” Atiku said.
He added that every public infrastructure expenditure should be assessed by its impact on production, transportation, earnings and the welfare of citizens.
“Every naira we spend must answer a simple question: does this investment help Nigerians produce more, move more easily, earn more and live better?” he said.
Atiku further pledged to prioritise infrastructure that reconnects farms with markets, factories with consumers and communities with economic opportunities.
The ADC candidate also endorsed Yakubu’s appeal for his campaign to focus on national issues rather than ethnic or regional divisions.
“I do not want a Nigeria reduced to Fulani versus Yoruba, North versus South, Muslim versus Christian, or one tribe against another,” he said.
Atiku argued that economic hardship affects Nigerians regardless of their ethnic or regional backgrounds, adding that the country’s challenges require national solutions.
“Our problems are Nigerian problems. Our solutions must be Nigerian solutions,” he said.
Former Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Jonathan Vatsa, has been appointed Spokesperson and Director of Contacts and Mobilisation of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, governorship campaign council ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Vatsa recently defected from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the SDP.
The SDP governorship candidate, Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed, SAN, announced the appointments in a letter personally signed by him and made available to journalists in Minna on Friday.
The appointments came barely 48 hours after Vatsa defected from the APC to the SDP alongside more than 200 supporters.
Ndarani described Vatsa, a former pioneer Publicity Secretary of the APC in Niger State, as an outspoken politician with considerable grassroots influence, media experience and mobilisation capacity.
He said the former commissioner's political experience and communication skills would strengthen the SDP's efforts to challenge the ruling APC in the state in 2027.
"Your appointment is a testament to your towering political profile, fearless advocacy, exceptional oratory, media management skills, profound grassroots penetration and unmatched mobilisation prowess," the letter stated.
The SDP candidate said Vatsa's dual responsibilities as campaign spokesperson and Director of Contacts and Mobilisation were deliberate and strategic, given his experience in media communication and grassroots politics.
Ndarani described him as one of the most fearless, vocal and respected political voices in the state.
"You speak powerfully and you mobilise massively. We need your voice to shape public opinion and your network to deliver the votes," he added.
As campaign spokesperson, Vatsa is expected to communicate the party's five-point agenda to voters and serve as the official voice of the campaign council.
In his capacity as Director of Contacts and Mobilisation, he will coordinate grassroots campaign activities across the state's 25 local government areas, 247 political wards and 4,950 polling units.
His responsibilities also include mobilising community leaders, traditional institutions and religious organisations, as well as coordinating house-to-house, door-to-door, market-to-market and farm-to-farm campaigns.
Niger: Vatsa appointed SDP campaign spokesperson, days after dumping APC
The federal government has expressed concern over the rise in neonatal mortality in Nigeria, despite a decline in deaths among children under five.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, disclosed this while citing the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey at the commemoration of the 2026 National Health Promotion Day in Abuja on Thursday.
According to the survey, under-five mortality declined from 132 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 110 in 2024, representing a reduction of about 17 per cent.
However, neonatal mortality, which measures deaths within the first 28 days of life, increased from 39 to 41 deaths per 1,000 live births within the same period.
Mr Pate, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, said the figures highlight the need to accelerate preventive healthcare, early diagnosis and timely access to quality medical services.
The event, themed “Health Promotion: Owning My Health,” with the slogan “Take Charge, Live Well,” marked the third edition of the National Health Promotion Day.
The minister reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which prioritises improving maternal and child health, strengthening primary healthcare, expanding immunisation, tackling non-communicable diseases and reducing the burden of HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
He described health promotion as a strategic investment in the country’s health system, noting that improving health outcomes required more than the availability of hospital services.
According to him, preventive interventions, informed individual choices, healthier environments and systems that support citizens’ wellbeing are equally important.
Preventive healthcare
Mr Pate listed ongoing preventive health interventions to include hypertension detection, hepatitis elimination through initiatives such as Project 365, cervical cancer prevention and screening, improved nutrition, immunisation and measures to prevent and control communicable diseases.
He said the impact of these interventions should be measured through increased screening, completed referrals, access to treatment and the prevention of avoidable illnesses.
He also stressed that public awareness must be matched by accessible, affordable and effective healthcare services.
According to the minister, awareness campaigns alone would not produce the desired outcomes if people could not access screening, obtain appropriate treatment or receive safe and respectful care.
He called for stronger collaboration among families, schools, workplaces, traditional and religious institutions, the media, civil society organisations, development partners and the private sector to promote healthy diets, physical activity, good hygiene, mental wellbeing, vaccination and appropriate screening.
He also urged stakeholders to address misinformation and harmful health practices.
The minister further called on all levels of government to integrate health promotion into routine primary healthcare, community engagement and development planning to ensure that vulnerable and underserved populations were not left behind.
He urged Nigerians to embrace the campaign slogan, “Take Charge, Live Well,” by seeking credible health information, understanding their health risks, participating in recommended screening and immunisation programmes, and seeking medical attention promptly when necessary.
Stakeholders pledge support
In their goodwill messages, development partners and civil society organisations reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in advancing health promotion.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNDP) representative, Olukunle Omotoso, emphasised the importance of community engagement, health literacy, gender equality and access to sexual and reproductive health services, particularly for women and young people.
CARE International, represented by Oluloto Ebenezer, also pledged continued support for initiatives aimed at promoting positive health-related behavioural changes at the community level.
Similarly, the Africa Health Budget Network highlighted the importance of family planning, healthy nutrition and routine screening for hypertension and diabetes.
The Permanent Secretary, Ms Kachollom, encouraged participants to take advantage of screening services provided at the event to promote early disease detection and encourage greater responsibility for personal health.
Nigeria’s maternal and newborn mortality burden
The latest figures come against the backdrop of Nigeria’s high burden of maternal and newborn deaths.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nigeria recorded a maternal mortality ratio of 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
In its 2023 report, titled “Improving Maternal and Newborn Health and Survival and Reducing Stillbirths: Progress Report 2023,” WHO estimated that Nigeria recorded 82,000 maternal deaths, 181,000 stillbirths and 277,000 neonatal deaths in 2020.
The combined 540,000 deaths accounted for 12 per cent of global maternal, stillbirth and neonatal deaths, despite Nigeria contributing only six per cent of the world’s live births.
The report ranked Nigeria second after India among the countries with the highest combined burden of maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths.
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