ABUJA, Nigeria – The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has unveiled a targeted $100 billion financing programme for start-ups and young entrepreneurs, declaring that Nigeria’s youth require sustainable wealth-creation opportunities rather than government-sponsored survival lessons, his campaign office announced on Saturday, August 29, 2026.
Speaking while receiving a nationwide delegation of beneficiaries of the federal N-Power scheme who paid him a solidarity visit in Abuja to endorse his 2027 presidential ambition, Atiku lamented that soaring inflation and escalating living costs have severely degraded household purchasing power and stifled youth enterprise.
Okay News reports that the former Vice President criticized reliance on temporary palliative distributions, arguing that genuine national development requires structural investments that empower young innovators, expand credit access, and revitalize small businesses.
“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,” Atiku said. “The cost-of-living crisis has stripped millions of Nigerians of purchasing power, weakened small businesses, and pushed too many young people farther away from jobs, capital, and economic independence.”
Detailing his economic blueprint for the youth demographic, the ADC standard-bearer pledged that his administration would implement targeted macroeconomic interventions aimed at slashing overhead costs for micro, small, and medium enterprises while expanding venture capital and low-interest credit facilities.
“We will restore purchasing power, reduce the cost of living, and deliberately expand opportunities for young Nigerians, including through a $100 billion financing programme for start-ups and entrepreneurs,” he stated. “Our objective is simple: move young Nigerians from dependence to enterprise, from unemployment to productivity, and from palliatives to prosperity.”
Commending the visiting youth delegation for their confidence in his vision, Atiku warned against economic models centered on welfare handouts rather than industrial productivity.
“Nigeria cannot build its future by distributing poverty,” Atiku emphasized. “We must build an economy that creates jobs, rewards enterprise, and gives every young Nigerian a fair chance to succeed. The choice before us is between continuing with an economy that shrinks opportunities and building one that restores hope, dignity, and prosperity. We will make Nigeria affordable again.”
