President also promises 200,000 affordable homes, 20,000 additional teachers and 90% functional primary healthcare centres by 2031

BY FRONTLINE REPORTERS

President Bola Tinubu has pledged to recruit 28,000 additional military personnel and 50,000 police officers as part of his administration’s proposed measures to strengthen national security and tackle terrorism, banditry and kidnapping if re-elected in 2027.

The commitments are contained in the All Progressives Congress (APC) 109-page presidential election manifesto, titled From Reform to Prosperity Agenda 2027–2031, obtained by Frontline Reporters.

The document outlines Tinubu’s second-term targets, including achieving six per cent annual economic growth, facilitating the construction of 200,000 affordable homes and sustaining a downward trend in inflation and food prices by 2031.

The APC is scheduled to unveil the manifesto on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

Under the proposed agenda, the President also plans to increase the number of functional primary healthcare centres nationwide to 90 per cent, expand active health insurance coverage to 40 per cent of Nigerians, recruit and train 20,000 additional teachers and scale electricity generation towards 10,000 megawatts.

The manifesto states that Tinubu’s second term would focus on translating the economic reforms and foundations laid during his first tenure into tangible improvements in the living conditions of Nigerians.

Outlining the administration’s expectations for 2031, the document identifies improved security, lower living costs, food security, reliable electricity, job creation, quality education and accessible healthcare as major priorities.

On the economy, Tinubu targets annual growth of six per cent, a reduction in youth unemployment by half and expanded access to affordable credit for at least half of economically active Nigerians.

The administration also plans to strengthen domestic food production, storage and processing, halve post-harvest losses and improve the movement of goods across states to reduce transportation costs.

In the housing sector, the President pledged to facilitate the construction of 200,000 affordable homes for Nigerian workers by 2031 through the proposed Tinubu Mass Social Housing Scheme, mortgage financing and partnerships with licensed private developers.

The initiative, according to the manifesto, is designed to expand access to decent housing for working households while strengthening regulations to protect property buyers.

Security and policing reforms

On security, Tinubu promised to strengthen the Armed Forces and other security agencies through additional recruitment, specialised training, modern equipment and improved intelligence gathering.

The manifesto specifically proposes completing and equipping four new Army divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City, alongside the recruitment and training of 28,000 additional military personnel already approved.

It also promises sustained intelligence-led military operations against insurgents, kidnappers and other criminal networks, with independent verification of operational results to improve public confidence.

The administration further plans to strengthen counter-terrorism capabilities, protect schools, markets, places of worship and major transport routes, and expand rehabilitation and deradicalisation programmes for former insurgents.

On policing, Tinubu pledged to recruit and train 50,000 additional officers, while expanding tactical training and deployment towards a police-to-citizen ratio of one officer to 400 people.

The proposed reforms include the introduction of digital police records, body cameras, geographical mapping systems, improved emergency response channels and modern forensic facilities.

The manifesto also proposes recruiting 30,150 personnel into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to take over static security duties currently performed by the police.

It further promises collaboration with federal and state lawmakers and governors to establish a legal framework for accountable state and community policing.

Other security measures include completing electronic surveillance coverage of mapped national borders, expanding passenger-data and border management systems, and strengthening intelligence-sharing and patrol operations.

The government also intends to deploy trained Forest Guards, Agro-Rangers and Mining Marshals to protect farming communities, agricultural areas, forest reserves and mineral resources.

The manifesto proposes extending the National Protection Policy and Strategy for Critical National Assets to cover energy pipelines, electricity grids, railways, schools and healthcare facilities.

It also promises increased domestic production of ammunition, protective equipment, armoured vehicles and tactical drones to strengthen Nigeria’s defence industry and create skilled employment.

Tinubu further pledged to improve the welfare of security personnel through approved salary increases, better housing, rehabilitated police barracks and faster payment of insurance and pension benefits to families of fallen officers.

Education and healthcare

In education, the President promised to recruit and train 20,000 additional teachers, building on the 80,284 teachers already certified and licensed.

The recruitment will prioritise female educators and underserved rural communities.

The manifesto also proposes stronger safe-school measures, improved water and sanitation facilities, and an annual education performance dashboard to monitor enrolment, dropout and completion rates.

Other priorities include expanding foundational learning, science, technology, engineering, mathematics and digital education, while strengthening partnerships with industries to align academic programmes with labour market demands.

Tinubu also pledged to expand student financing through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), sustain the National Smart Learning Initiative and extend vocational, technical and digital skills training.

The administration further plans to expand the Mandatory School Sports Programme and the National Sports and Education Excellence Programme to strengthen grassroots sports development.

In healthcare, the manifesto targets increasing functional primary healthcare centres from the current 53 per cent to 90 per cent by 2031.

It also promises to expand direct quarterly funding under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund from about 8,300 primary healthcare centres to all 17,600 facilities nationwide.

The President pledged to increase active health insurance coverage from more than 23 million enrollees to 40 per cent of Nigerians by 2031, with subsidies for poor and vulnerable households.

The initiative is also expected to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare spending from 71 per cent to below 50 per cent of total health expenditure.

Other commitments include completing the revitalisation of about 1,000 outstanding primary healthcare centres, expanding solar power installations to healthcare facilities and extending free emergency obstetric care under the MAMII programme to all 774 local government areas.

The manifesto also promises to complete the National Health Information Exchange to enable portable electronic medical records by 2031 and establish Emergency Operations Centre coverage across all states.

Tinubu further pledged to improve the recruitment, training and welfare of healthcare workers, increase local production of essential medicines to 50 per cent by 2031 through BioVaccines Nigeria, and complete cancer treatment centres across the six geopolitical zones.

Electricity and governance

On electricity, the administration plans to scale available generation towards 10,000MW, expand metering towards full coverage and strengthen transmission and distribution infrastructure.

It also intends to extend clean energy access to underserved communities to improve electricity supply to households and businesses.

The manifesto further outlines governance reforms aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and public service delivery.

These include extending digital case management systems to magistrate courts, monitoring government service delivery and ensuring local governments receive their constitutionally guaranteed allocations under clearly defined performance standards.

The President also promised to modernise fire stations, strengthen maritime surveillance and cybersecurity, deploy drones for emergency response and expand enrolment in the National Identity Database to 95 per cent of Nigerians.

The manifesto presents these commitments as the next phase of the administration’s reform agenda, with 2031 set as the target year for delivering measurable improvements in security, economic growth, infrastructure and social services.

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