Former Speaker of the House Hon Yakubu Dogara has said that former Vice President and Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar remains the best option for Nigeria.

Dogara added that the 2023 presidential race is between Atiku and Labor Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, based on empirical evidence.

The former speaker applauded ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying he dances at campaign rallies because he has nothing to say.

It alleged that Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state, has staggering allegations of fraud and moral corruption against him that weigh on his integrity and capacity.

Dogara spoke as a keynote speaker in Jos on Sunday during the Arewa Christian Indigenous Pastors’ Association (ACIPA) “Day of Prayers, Awards and Book Dedication”.

The former speaker qualified four of the main presidential candidates and scored them according to what he described as their trajectory, visibility, good social relations, virtues of unity and brotherhood.

Of Atiku, he said: “God forbid we imagine he is perfect, but we cannot deny that he is by far the most experienced and what he has done for the Northern Church has no known parallel in Nigerian history.”

The former speaker added that “this was one of his main calls to some of us who supported his candidacy. In case we have forgotten, let me remind you of Governors Boni Haruna and Jolly Nyame, who ruled Adamawa and Taraba states for 8 and 10 years respectively with Atiku’s full backing.”

He argued that Atiku was his only patron at that level when he ran and won the presidential race nearly eight years ago, stressing that the former vice president made it clear that since the president is a Muslim and the president of the Senate was going to be another Muslim, if we are not to spit on the legacies of Sardauna and other founding fathers of our nation, the speaking position should go to a Christian.

According to Dogara, Atiku was under heavy pressure to change his position, but he remained firm in his conviction until he won the race, adding that among the top two, Atiku is still the best presidential option for the nation judging from experience, performance and established social relationships. Through the years.

“Believe me, there are other compelling stories that time will not allow me to share. Furthermore, Atiku has a strong partner in a Governor who is not only a Christian, but a man of unwavering faith in Nigeria and our people. I am convinced that together they will provide the necessary leadership to unite Nigerians of all faiths and set a strong path to prosperity for all,” he said.

On Peter Obi, he said: “As for the Labor candidate, I don’t have much to say about him because I don’t know him and that’s what scares me. At the level at which I have operated in Nigerian politics, I am supposed to know a number of things about him, but sadly I don’t.”

Commenting on former Kano State Governor Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Dogara said that the NNPP has not carried out the required national campaigns for the presidency.

“The crucial role we can play as Christians is to examine the character of the candidates running for office, especially the highest office in the country, and reject those we know are not a reflection of our moral ethos,” he said.

For a smooth launch of the federal government’s Safe Schools Initiative, the Safe Schools Finance Secretariat/Technical Working Committee has expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).

NSCDC Commanding General Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, who hosted the National School Security Committee in Abuja yesterday, said he was impressed with the level of teamwork shown by the security agencies involved in the task.

He said: “To protect schools, the body introduced the School Community Security Vanguard, established the Women’s Special Squad, the Integrated Electronic Arrest Reporting System (I-EARS), among others.”

According to Audi, two locations have been proposed to be developed as permanent control rooms for the NSCDC program.

He said: “Two permanent sites are also allocated for the construction of readily available National Schools security and emergency response centers within the premises.

“There is a national center design for building the safe school and it will be available for viewing if you choose to locate the safe school here.”

He reiterated that as the lead agency in protecting critical national assets and infrastructure, the NSCDC stands ready for the task.

The GC also tasked the Private Guard Companies (PGC) with the timely collection of grassroots intelligence to ensure adequate protection of schools in the country.

He claimed the corps had trained more than 3.5 million guards and warned that since they are close to the bases, that relationship could be exploited to attract credible intelligence.

The head of the Safe Schools Financing Secretariat and the Technical Working Committee of the Ministry of Finance, Ms. Halima Iliya, thanked the corps for donations and promised to use the infrastructure provided.

After inspecting the workspace and control room of the donated office, Ms. Iliya said that the committee will redevelop the office as it lacks funds for the construction of the undeveloped donated sites.

He said that many promotional activities will take place in rural areas and stressed the importance of community response.

He stressed the need for all stakeholders, especially security agencies, to continue to develop proactive measures that produce results in response to the nation’s security challenges.