2027: Of Makinde’s Different Approach to Governance

With a four-pillar programme targeting economic productivity, decentralised security, measurable educational outcomes and functional federalism, the Allied Peoples Movement’s presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, is offering Nigerians a different approach to governance, writes Wale Igbintade

For millions of Nigerians struggling with rising food prices, expensive transportation, unreliable electricity, insecurity and dwindling purchasing power, the question confronting the country’s political leadership is no longer simply how to grow the economy, but how to make economic growth translate into better living conditions.

Across households, businesses, farms and marketplaces, the disconnect between government policies and the everyday experiences of citizens has become increasingly difficult to ignore. While successive administrations have announced reforms, introduced interventions and presented ambitious development plans, many Nigerians continue to grapple with the consequences of a system that often struggles to convert policies into tangible improvements.

It is against this background that Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has presented his ‘Reset Nigeria Agenda’, a comprehensive governing programme designed to address what he describes as the institutional failures undermining the country’s development.

Unveiled in Abuja on November 4 ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election, the manifesto, titled ‘The Reset Agenda 2027’, is built around four interconnected pillars: economic restructuring, security reform, educational transformation and a socio-political reset.

More than a collection of campaign promises, the document attempts to make a broader argument about Nigeria’s development crisis. Makinde believes the country is not fundamentally deficient in human or natural resources, but has struggled to establish institutions and governance arrangements capable of converting those resources into prosperity, security and opportunity.

His proposed solution is a fundamental reassessment of how government operates, how responsibilities are distributed, how public resources are managed and, perhaps most importantly, how political leaders are held accountable for their promises.

The underlying philosophy is captured in his insistence that Nigeria does not need another set of lofty declarations without clear implementation mechanisms.

For Makinde, meaningful reform must begin with an honest assessment of existing systems, identify what works and what has failed, assign responsibility and establish measurable targets against which citizens can evaluate government performance.

He argues that the country’s founding vision accommodated its diversity through a federal arrangement, but that decades of military rule and subsequent democratic administrations failed to sufficiently restore the balance between the different levels of government.

Consequently, excessive concentration of authority at the centre, fragmented institutional responsibilities and weak accountability have combined to undermine effective governance.

His Reset Agenda therefore seeks to address these structural weaknesses rather than treat the country’s economic, security and social challenges as isolated problems.

Rebuilding an Economy That Works for Households

At the heart of the economic pillar is a proposition that economic reforms should be judged by their impact on ordinary Nigerians, not merely by macroeconomic statistics.

For a family struggling to afford food, transportation, electricity and housing, improvements in government revenue or economic indicators mean little if household incomes continue to lose purchasing power.

Makinde’s economic prescription consequently places considerable emphasis on reducing the structural cost of living and doing business.

He argues that the price consumers pay for goods is influenced not only by production costs but also by poor infrastructure, expensive transportation, unreliable energy supply, inefficient storage systems and security challenges along agricultural routes.

The manifesto proposes prioritising federal economic roads and freight corridors according to their contribution to food production, industrial development, trade and employment.

Rather than constructing roads as isolated political projects, the proposed administration intends to identify strategic routes that connect farms to processing facilities, businesses to markets and production centres to consumers.

It also proposes a Federal-State Road Compact to clarify funding arrangements, reimbursement obligations, construction standards and maintenance responsibilities before projects commence.

Agriculture features prominently in the economic programme, particularly through the development of integrated value chains for rice, maize, cassava, beans and tomatoes.

The proposal goes beyond increasing agricultural production to addressing the challenges that prevent farmers from earning reasonable returns on their investments.

Production, processing, storage, transportation and market access would be incorporated into coordinated delivery plans, supported by private-sector partnerships and commercially viable processing hubs.

The manifesto also recognises the relationship between insecurity and food inflation, proposing protection plans for farms, storage facilities and transportation routes in collaboration with the security agencies.

On energy, Makinde identifies the high cost and unreliable supply of electricity as major impediments to industrial productivity.

His proposals include independent assessments of government-owned refineries within six months of assuming office, followed by decisions within 12 to 18 months on whether they should be operated by private partners, converted to commercially viable facilities or decommissioned.

The objective, according to the document, is to end the cycle of committing public resources to facilities that fail to deliver corresponding economic value.

Another notable proposal is the Domestic Energy Value Credit, through which citizens would receive a direct benefit from Nigeria’s petroleum wealth by reducing the effective cost of eligible fuel.

The arrangement would be linked to a defined percentage of budget benchmark prices, with additional benefits when international crude prices rise.

On electricity, the manifesto proposes completing the transition towards coordinated national and state electricity markets, allowing states to regulate intrastate electricity markets while the Federal Government retains responsibility for interstate transmission.

It also promises a targeted lifeline electricity tariff covering the first 50 kilowatt-hours consumed monthly by verified low-income households.

For businesses, the programme proposes consolidating overlapping federal enterprise funds into professionally managed financing windows, strengthening priority industries such as agro-processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals and construction materials, and simplifying government requirements.

Its proposed ‘Tell Government Once’ initiative would allow relevant public institutions to share information securely, eliminating repeated documentation and unnecessary bureaucratic procedures.

The manifesto also promises to publish a comprehensive register of federal business taxes, levies and compliance charges, giving enterprises greater certainty about their regulatory obligations.

On fiscal management, Makinde proposes maintaining the operational independence of the Central Bank, ending unauthorised Ways and Means financing and reducing the federal fiscal deficit to the statutory ceiling of three per cent of Gross Domestic Product by the third year.

He also targets a reduction in the debt-service-to-revenue ratio to no more than 50 per cent.

These are ambitious commitments, but their significance lies in the attempt to connect fiscal discipline with the broader objective of improving the economic circumstances of households and businesses.

Taking Security Closer to the People

If economic hardship remains a major concern, insecurity represents another formidable obstacle to Nigeria’s development.

Banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other violent crimes have disrupted agricultural activities, displaced communities, restricted movement and weakened confidence in the ability of the state to protect lives and property.

Makinde’s Security Reset rests on the argument that Nigeria’s security difficulties are compounded by excessive centralisation, fragmented intelligence and unclear operational responsibilities.

His proposed solution is to bring security responsibilities closer to communities while strengthening coordination among the different security institutions.

Central to this approach is the establishment of constitutional, legal and financial frameworks for state policing.

The proposal envisages state police forces operating under rigorous readiness standards, professional training requirements and independent oversight mechanisms.

Federal security agencies would retain responsibility for terrorism, border security and crimes extending across state boundaries.

The distinction is intended to ensure that local security threats can be addressed by institutions with a better understanding of the communities concerned, without compromising national security coordination.

However, decentralising policing also raises important questions about political interference, human rights protection, operational independence and the possibility of governors using security institutions against political opponents.

The manifesto acknowledges the need for safeguards, proposing professional standards and independent oversight to ensure that greater authority is accompanied by greater accountability.

Another important component is the establishment of a common Threat-to-Action Standard across security agencies.

Under the proposed arrangement, credible threats would trigger clearly defined responsibilities, command structures and response timelines.

The objective is to eliminate situations in which agencies receive intelligence but fail to act because of poor coordination or uncertainty over operational responsibility.

The programme also extends security beyond the immediate deployment of personnel and equipment.

It proposes coordinated Security and Economic Recovery Plans for communities affected by terrorism, kidnapping and banditry, recognising that restoring peace must go hand in hand with rebuilding livelihoods.

This is particularly important for agricultural communities where insecurity has made farming increasingly difficult.

The manifesto further proposes improved case-tracking systems connecting police investigators, forensic services, prosecutors, courts and correctional facilities.

By strengthening the relationship between investigation and prosecution, the proposed reforms seek to improve the administration of criminal justice while ensuring accountability for allegations of misconduct and excessive force.

Making Education About What Children Actually Learn

In the education sector, Makinde challenges the traditional tendency to measure progress primarily through school enrolment, infrastructure development and examination statistics.

His argument is that children should not merely attend school; they must acquire the knowledge and practical capabilities necessary to participate meaningfully in society and the economy.

The Education Reset therefore places foundational learning at the centre of its proposed reforms.

One of its major commitments is a National Foundational Learning Guarantee designed to ensure that every child masters basic literacy and numeracy by the end of Primary Three.

The administration would target literacy proficiency of at least 50 per cent and numeracy proficiency of 65 per cent by its third year.

These measurable targets would provide a basis for assessing whether educational interventions are producing actual improvements in learning.

The manifesto also proposes addressing the persistent challenge of out-of-school children through systematic identification of the barriers preventing access to education.

Recognising that the reasons children remain outside classrooms differ across communities, it advocates targeted interventions addressing poverty, insecurity and other obstacles.

School safety would also receive attention through emergency communication protocols and continuity arrangements for institutions in high-risk areas.

Teacher development represents another major component. Rather than judging teacher training by the number of workshops attended, the proposed administration intends to link professional development funding and accreditation to classroom performance, subject mastery and practical teaching competence.

This approach reflects an understanding that educational transformation depends not simply on buildings and learning materials, but also on the quality of instruction children receive.

The manifesto further proposes aligning technical colleges, vocational institutions and apprenticeship programmes with verified industry requirements and recognised national qualifications.

At the tertiary level, universities and other higher institutions would be expected to define the practical competencies graduates should acquire, while public research would be connected more directly to national economic priorities.

Ultimately, the objective is to make education a pathway to employment, innovation, entrepreneurship and national productivity rather than an endless accumulation of certificates.

Restoring Federalism and Rebuilding Public Trust

Perhaps the most far-reaching aspect of the Reset Agenda is its socio-political pillar, which seeks to redefine the relationship between government and citizens.

Makinde argues that Nigeria’s federal structure has not functioned as effectively as intended because too many responsibilities remain concentrated at the centre.

His proposed Federal Responsibilities Review would examine the distribution of powers among the federal, state and local governments, with a view to assigning responsibilities to the level best positioned to perform them.

The programme also advocates greater state involvement in solid minerals and resource governance, alongside structural reforms aimed at strengthening local government administration.

The manifesto also recognises that governance must be measured by the ability of citizens to access essential services.

On healthcare, it proposes a published essential primary-care guarantee agreed with state governments, with funding linked to verified service delivery and expanded health insurance coverage.

Social protection would be strengthened through an accountable gateway using verified national registers and transparent eligibility criteria to identify vulnerable households before economic shocks push them into destitution.

The document also promises stronger inclusion in public appointments, infrastructure accessibility, housing and support for the creative economy.

Electoral reforms form another part of the proposed institutional renewal, including electronic accreditation and transmission of election results.

It further advocates transparency in public procurement, published ministerial mandates and stronger citizen consultation.

The underlying argument is that public institutions must earn citizens’ confidence through competence, openness and consistent delivery.

Test of Implementation

While the breadth of the Reset Agenda is significant, its ultimate value will depend on whether its promises can be translated into practical results.

Nigeria has witnessed numerous development plans and political manifestoes, many of which contained commendable objectives but struggled during implementation.

Makinde appears conscious of this challenge. The manifesto proposes publishing a Consolidated Reset Delivery Plan within the first 100 days of an administration, identifying milestones, responsible institutions and measurable performance indicators for every major commitment.

It also provides a four-year implementation framework. The first year would focus on establishing baseline conditions, taking difficult policy decisions and putting the necessary legal and institutional foundations in place. The second year would concentrate on implementation at scale and correcting early failures.

By the end of the third year, the administration expects Nigerians to be able to verify the promised results, while the fourth year would consolidate the reforms and publish independently verified outcomes.

This proposed accountability mechanism is arguably one of the manifesto’s most important features because it attempts to move political responsibility beyond campaign rhetoric.

Nevertheless, implementing the programme would require substantial financial resources, legislative cooperation, effective coordination between different levels of government and the willingness of public institutions to embrace reforms that may challenge established interests.

Ultimately, the significance of Makinde’s Reset Nigeria Agenda lies in its attempt to connect four issues that are often treated separately in political discussions: economic prosperity, personal security, educational opportunity and institutional credibility.

Its central proposition is that none can be sustainably achieved without the others.

Whether he can translate this ambitious blueprint into reality remains a question for the electorate and, ultimately, the test of leadership.

But Makinde’s manifesto places an important challenge before Nigeria’s political class: government should not merely announce policies or celebrate expenditure; it must demonstrate how its decisions improve the lives of citizens.

For Nigerians weary of promises without results, that may well be the most consequential proposition of the Reset Agenda.