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The presidential hopeful of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Arc. Dr. Peter Agada, has outlined an ambitious vision for Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections, promising to tackle insecurity, decentralise electricity generation, drive industrialisation and create wealth through production-focused economic policies.
Speaking during a live interview on Peoples 105.5 FM Abuja on Thursday, the architect, policy strategist and former Director of Finance of the Obedient Movement declared that Nigeria’s problems are solvable with the right leadership, planning and technology-driven governance.
Agada, who recently joined the YPP after exiting the Labour Party, argued that competence rather than zoning should determine who occupies the presidency in 2027.
“We’ve been zoning from 1999 to date. Where are we today? What has it done for our nation?” he asked.
“Competence should drive leadership at any point in time.”
The presidential hopeful also disclosed that his decision to seek Nigeria’s highest office was rooted in more than two decades of involvement in public policy development and national planning.
According to him, he has contributed policy frameworks to several political leaders and governments over the years and has consistently engaged with decision-makers on issues of infrastructure, economic development and governance.
“I have been producing government policies and solutions in several thematic areas for government for over 20 years,” he said.
“I have been around the corridors of power providing counsel. I know what is really going on within the system.”
Agada maintained that leadership is fundamentally about managing people, projects and resources, adding that his extensive private-sector experience adequately prepared him for public office.
The YPP hopeful revealed that he had supervised projects valued at approximately N10 billion and coordinated thousands of workers simultaneously.
“If it is about running resources and projects, I know that I have had turnover that is close to what some state governors run in two or three months in their governance,” he stated.
Security Remains Top Priority
On the nation’s worsening security situation, Agada said restoring safety across the country would be his administration’s foremost priority.
He revealed that he was part of a team that developed a comprehensive military surveillance and intelligence infrastructure several years ago, a proposal he claimed received endorsements from senior military officers and defence authorities but was never implemented.
According to him, the security solution relied heavily on indigenous innovation, advanced surveillance systems and modern technology.
“It was a solution that predicted everything you are seeing today,” he said.
Agada argued that insecurity lies at the heart of many of Nigeria’s economic challenges, including declining agricultural productivity, reduced investment and the collapse of economic activities in rural communities.
“Our farms are now fields for kidnap and banditry,” he lamented.
“The first big thing to fix is security.”
He added that no nation experiencing prolonged insecurity could achieve meaningful economic growth.
“No economy operating under protracted insecurity can attain its optimal potential,” he said.
Decentralised Power System
The YPP presidential hopeful also proposed a radical restructuring of Nigeria’s electricity sector through decentralised energy generation.
According to him, the country’s overdependence on a centralised national grid has limited access to electricity and constrained economic growth.
Drawing comparisons with how Nigerians addressed water shortages through private boreholes and local solutions, Agada argued that power generation should be similarly decentralised.
“What stops us today from decentralising power?” he queried.
Under his proposal, residential communities and small commercial districts would operate independent mini-grids powered largely by solar energy, while the national grid would focus on servicing heavy industries and major production centres.
“We believe in decentralising power and having mini-grids that have nothing to do with the central grid,” he explained.
He further noted that advances in solar technology and falling production costs have made renewable energy solutions increasingly affordable and practical.
Industrialisation and Wealth Creation
Agada stressed that economic recovery would depend on rebuilding Nigeria’s productive capacity rather than relying on consumption-driven policies.
According to him, industrialisation cannot succeed without addressing insecurity and restoring confidence in agriculture and mining.
He cited the decline of once-thriving agricultural and mining regions across the country as evidence of how insecurity has undermined economic growth.
“The challenge is where is our feedstock for agro-industrial production? Our farms are now fields for kidnap and banditry,” he said.
The presidential hopeful argued that economic prosperity would only emerge when government creates an enabling environment for production and wealth creation.
“We do not need to intervene. We need to build wealth,” he declared.
“We need to create systems that money comes into our country and stays and circulates within the hands of several persons before the money leaves.”
Defends Key Tinubu Reforms
In a significant policy position, Agada indicated that he would not reverse major economic reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidy.
Rather than criticising the principles behind the reforms, he argued that the challenge lies in implementing them without first expanding citizens’ earning capacity.
“I would not reverse these principles,” he said.
“The commercial nature of the current administration is a wonderful thing.”
According to him, taxation and market-oriented reforms can only succeed when citizens are provided with opportunities to earn sustainable incomes.
“You cannot tax the people that you have not given the opportunity or created the atmosphere for them to generate revenues and wealth,” he stated.
He expressed concern over rising poverty levels despite reports of economic growth, arguing that growth figures must translate into improved living standards for ordinary citizens.
“If an economy achieved growth and also witnessed an increase in poverty, then the reason can only be misplaced priorities in resource allocation and fiscal policy direction,” he argued.
Why He Left Obi’s Camp
Agada also addressed lingering questions surrounding his departure from the Obedient Movement and his political separation from former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.
While describing Obi as “a fantastic leader” and one of the most admirable personalities he had encountered, Agada insisted that they differed fundamentally on organisational structure and political strategy.
According to him, his insistence on formal structures and institutional organisation conflicted with Obi’s preference for a less rigid movement framework.
“Our point of departure borders on structure,” he explained.
“We just didn’t agree, so we had to go away.”
He nevertheless maintained that he still respects Obi and shares many of the same developmental ideals.
Labour Party Dispute
The former Labour Party presidential aspirant also revisited his disagreement with the party leadership over his disqualification from the presidential contest after purchasing nomination forms and investing resources in reconciliation efforts within the party.
Agada alleged that he spent substantial funds and dedicated significant effort toward uniting rival factions before being excluded from the process.
“I just felt these people were taking me for a ride,” he said.
He confirmed that discussions regarding the refund of part of the money paid to the party were ongoing but insisted that he would continue to pursue full reimbursement.
Confidence in YPP
Despite being a relatively smaller political platform, Agada expressed confidence in the organisational capacity of the YPP.
He described the party as disciplined, structured and ideologically driven, adding that it possesses the nationwide network required to compete effectively in the 2027 elections.
“The YPP is a well-organised group of young persons, very organised and very silent. Under the ground, these guys are working,” he said.
Agada also assured Nigerians that his political movement and the YPP would deploy adequate grassroots structures across the country, including polling unit agents, during the elections.
As preparations for the 2027 presidential race gradually gather momentum, the YPP hopeful said his campaign would focus on security, industrialisation, power sector reform, infrastructure development and wealth creation as the pillars of national transformation.
“If you fix security, you break the chain of poverty and difficulty Nigeria is facing,” he said.
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