By Miftaudeen Raji

Hauwa Atiku-Uwais, the daughter of the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar has defended the privatisation agenda of her father.

According to her, privatisation policy will promote Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and allow the government to focus on providing conducive climate for businesses in Nigeria.

Atiku-Uwais stated this while speaking in an interview on Channels Television programme, The 2023 Verdict on Tuesday.

She argued that liberalisation and privatisation will open up the space for a PPP model that will accelerate development in Nigeria.

She said privatisation worked under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration when Atiku was the vice-president because it was handled well.

Atiku-Uwais said, “In his covenant with Nigerians, he (Atiku) has consistently spoken about industrialisation and privatisation.

“When you open up the space for the private sector to come in, we’ll have industries that can work, we have industries that generate money, pay taxes to the government, and enable the government to take care of its own business, diverting from the typical oil industry (dependence).

“For me, liberalisation and privatisation will open up the space for public-private partnerships with government and will enable the government to concentrate on what the government should concentrate on which is regularisation and implementation and providing enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

“Once the economy is open, you and I will see a fantastic difference and my father is a champion of that and he has said it over and over in his campaigns over the years and this hasn’t changed.”

She urged Nigerian youths relocating abroad to examine her father’s manifesto, noting that the manifesto contains solutions to the country’s challenges.

Atiku-Uwais, who said Atiku is determined to leave a good legacy for Nigeria with his presidential pursuit, expressed hope that Atiku will win the February 25 poll.