Atiku Pledges $10bn Youth Enterprise Fund, Vows to ‘Make Nigeria Affordable Again’

…Says young Nigerians need jobs, capital and opportunities to prosper, not palliatives to survive hardship

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to establish a $10 billion financing programme for Nigerian start-ups and entrepreneurs if elected President in 2027, saying his administration would prioritise jobs, enterprise and the restoration of Nigerians’ purchasing power.

Atiku, in a statement late Saturday, said the country’s young population deserved an economy that provided opportunities for prosperity rather than policies that merely helped citizens cope with economic hardship.

“Nigeria’s young people do not need a government that teaches them how to survive hardship. They need a government that gives them the opportunity to prosper,” he said.

The former Vice President said the rising cost of living had significantly eroded the purchasing power of millions of Nigerians, weakened small businesses and made access to jobs, capital and economic independence increasingly difficult for young people.

He pledged to reverse the trend by pursuing policies aimed at reducing living costs, strengthening household purchasing power and deliberately expanding economic opportunities for young Nigerians.

Central to the plan, Atiku said, would be a $10 billion financing programme targeted at start-ups and entrepreneurs to provide greater access to capital and stimulate the creation and expansion of businesses.

“Our objective is simple: move young Nigerians from dependence to enterprise, from unemployment to productivity, and from palliatives to prosperity,” he said.

Atiku spoke against the backdrop of a meeting with a nationwide delegation of N-Power beneficiaries who visited him on Sunday to declare their support for his presidential candidacy.

He thanked the beneficiaries for their support and said Nigeria needed to move beyond interventions that merely alleviate poverty towards building an economy capable of creating sustainable jobs and rewarding enterprise.

“Nigeria cannot build its future by distributing poverty. We must build an economy that creates jobs, rewards enterprise, and gives every young Nigerian a fair chance to succeed,” Atiku said.

According to him, the 2027 presidential election would present Nigerians with a choice between what he described as an economy in which opportunities were shrinking and an alternative focused on restoring hope, dignity, and prosperity.

“We will make Nigeria affordable again,” the former Vice President declared.