The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has said Nigeria does not need decades to overcome its development challenges, insisting that four years of purposeful leadership is enough to set the country on the path of transformation.
Adebayo spoke in Abuja on Tuesday while unveiling the party’s 2027–2031 policy blueprint, titled “Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity.”
He said the document was designed to provide practical solutions to Nigeria’s security, economic, energy and infrastructure problems, arguing that the country’s current difficulties were largely the result of poor leadership and mismanagement rather than a lack of resources.
Using the administration of former Lagos State governor, Lateef Jakande, as an example, Adebayo said a government with a clear vision could achieve significant development within a single four-year term.
He said his administration, if elected in 2027, would prioritise human development, affordable infrastructure, energy security and economic productivity.
Among the targets contained in the SDP blueprint are increasing electricity generation to 75,000 megawatts, establishing four functional public refineries and supporting the development of 36 modular refineries, alongside private-sector investments in refining.
Adebayo also proposed a review of the country’s approach to petrol pricing, arguing that Nigerians should not be subjected to international fuel prices while earning incomes far below international standards.
He suggested that petrol could be sold at about N200 per litre under the proposed framework, saying this would help protect households from further economic hardship.
The SDP candidate further blamed the persistent weakness of the naira on what he described as the mismanagement and diversion of national resources, saying greater productivity, employment and accountability were necessary to stabilise the economy.
At the presentation, SDP National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, said the party’s proposed reforms would be driven by measurable performance and public accountability.
He said the SDP would adopt performance contracts and regular monitoring to enable Nigerians to assess what government had promised and what had actually been delivered.
The party’s vice-presidential candidate, Usman Bugaje, also stressed the need for urgent reforms in energy and agriculture, warning that Nigeria’s growing population would require a stronger productive base.
He argued that reducing energy costs and improving agricultural productivity would be critical to lowering production costs and strengthening the Nigerian economy.
Adebayo, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the SDP platform, urged Nigerians to assess the party’s blueprint on the basis of its proposed solutions rather than ethnic, regional or other considerations ahead of the 2027 election.
