By Abdulkareem Haruna

Presidential candidate of the NDC, Peter Obi, has declared that his administration will offer an amnesty window to bandits and kidnappers taking effect immediately upon his electoral victory, alongside a firm deadline to resettle all internally displaced persons (IDPs) within two years in office.

“When a political system is corrupted from the very top to the lowest levels of the bureaucracy, the problem becomes almost impossible to solve without a revolution—a thorough cleansing that must begin from the top and proceed systematically downward,” Peter Obi said at a dinner for the Inauguration of his Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in Abuja on Tuesday.

Unveiling his core policy blueprint ahead of the 2027 general elections under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) “OK Ticket” alongside his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Obi detailed a hardline economic and security agenda aimed at pulling millions out of poverty and dismantling criminal networks across the nation.

Here are the key promises announced by the presidential candidate:
Amnesty Window & Decisive Security Action: Obi stated that an amnesty offer for bandits and kidnappers will take effect upon the announcement of his electoral victory. However, any criminal activity committed after his inauguration will face decisive lawful force, targeting both perpetrators and their sponsors to completely dismantle criminal networks.

“Bandits and kidnappers must understand that our amnesty offer will take effect when our victory is announced. Any crime committed after our inauguration will be dealt with decisively,” he said.

IDP Resettlement Within Two Years: The administration commits to fully resettling internally displaced persons (IDPs) back into their ancestral communities within its first two years in office, providing them with targeted empowerment to rebuild their livelihoods with dignity.
Top-Down Anti-Corruption Campaign: Quoting Singapore’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, Obi pledged an aggressive, systematic purge of corruption starting at the highest levels of government and proceeding downward through the federal bureaucracy.
Northern Agro-Industrial Hub: Obi promised to transform Northern Nigeria’s vast land resources and labor force into a major agro-industrial cluster, driving national manufacturing and industrial growth.
Agrarian Revolution & Export Growth: The agenda prioritizes establishing crop-processing facilities close to farming communities, supporting state-level comparative advantages, and boosting agriculture as a primary food source and foreign exchange earner.
Teacher Pay Overhaul & Education Subsidies: Obi vowed to make Nigerian teachers among the highest-paid professional groups in the country, upgrade primary, secondary, and technical schools, and subsidize education so no child is left behind.

“Nations that have been transformed achieved greatness because they deliberately promoted education and ensured the wellbeing of their people… Our government will ensure that teachers are among the highest-remunerated groups in Nigeria,” he declared.
Targeted Sector Subsidies: Moving away from broad consumption subsidies, the proposed government plans to channel targeted economic subsidies directly into key productive sectors, including agriculture, education, and energy.