APC USA 25 Tips to Advance Nigeria Upward

1. All Progressives Congress on Job Creation and Strong Economy :

• Create an economy built to last; supported by a viable middle class and job creation.

• Restore austerity through creative budget that promote sound fiscal discipline.

• Cut the deficit in half over the next four years.

• Progressives is committed to reversing the economic stagnation in Nigeria.

• Progressives will lead Nigerians to prosperity through a strong labor force of private and governmental ministries.

• Progressives will reduce publicly held debt drastically in four years through program cuts and realignment.

• Progressives will promote policies that will encourage home ownership and affordable housing.

2. All Progressives Congress on Civil Rights:
• Enable a Persons with Disability Act and grant individuals with disability access to healthcare and other social safety net programs; train them for federal jobs.

• Racial and religious profiling is wrong and must be eliminated from our society.

• Strengthen some parts of Patriot Act and change other parts.

• Support affirmative action to redress discrimination.

• Provide police training to sensitize them against racial & ethnic profiling.

• Progressives will lead the fight for equal employment.

3. All Progressives Congress on Corporations:
• Provide financial incentives to businesses through grants and tax credits; collect on business loans

• Vigorously prosecute corporate crimes and mandate transparency in corporate accounting; and end corporate welfare as we know it.

• Government should promote policies that discourage the concentration of economic power by implementing strong labor force and life sustaining wages.

4. All Progressives Congress on Crime:
• Death penalty must not be arbitrary, it must be based on the strength of the evidence and law.

• Crack down on gangs and drug and human trafficking.

• Fight crime with education, diversionary programs and community policing.

• DNA testing & post-conviction reviews in death penalty cases must be mandatory prior to sentencing.

5. All Progressives Congress on Drugs:
• Institute judicial equity in sentencing for drug crimes.

• Toughen sentencing of narcotics trafficking conviction in Nigeria • Drugs in prison: get clean to get out.

• Dry up drug demand via more enforcement, plus more treatment for first offenders.

• Fight drugs and economic hopelessness that fuels it.

6. All Progressives Congress on Education:
• Turn around struggling public schools; expand public options.

• Increase investment in scholarships
• Make college tuition tax deductible
• Eliminate corruption in standardized tests to improve quality of education, and eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy

• Progressives are the party for public education.

• Education is top priority in a Progressives presidency.

• Accountability is a key to public school; in that regard create Federal school boards with branches in all the states to administer public schools

• Reduce class size, modernize facilities, through prudent recruitment of teachers.

• Nigeria needs public school accountability, not vouchers.

7. All Progressives Congress on Energy & Oil:
• Preserve Niger-Delta and explore for oil responsibly elsewhere.

• Transfer billions in oil & gas subsidies to alternative R&D.

• We cannot drill our way to energy independence.

• Energy independence to avoid dealing with repressive regimes.

• Develop renewable energy and efficient vehicles

• Invest in technology & transportation with due consideration to environmental friendliness and wildlife preservation

8. All Progressives Congress on Environment:
• Restore wilderness & watersheds for generations to come.

• Honor hunting & fishing heritage via more conservation lands.

• Develop Traditional Medicine utilizing the abundance of fore • We do not have to choose between economy and environment.

9. All Progressives Congress on Families & Children: • Support fatherhood via faith-based groups.

• Family is the center of Nigerian life.
• Expand Family and Medical Leave Law; end marriage penalty.

• Improve child-care and fully fund Head Start.

10. All Progressives Congress on Foreign Policy:
• Commit to “One China” policy but support Taiwan

• Asia: Enhance relations with Japan, South Korea, India, Pakistan

• Continue Nigerian leadership in Africa in pursuit of economic & humanitarian goals

• Forward Engagement must guide proactive foreign policy.

• Work towards class war by closing the gap between the rich and the poor

• Assume leadership roles in ECOWAS, African Union, through active participation. •

11. All Progressives Congress on Free Trade:
• Double our exports by 2019 with new trade agreements.

• Knock down barriers to free, fair and balanced trade.

• Review all trade agreements; investigate China human rights abuses.

• Free trade with safeguards will benefit all.

• Establish quality controls at all levels.
12. All Progressives Congress on Government Reform: • Curb the influence of lobbyists.

• Your vote should count; no voter ID laws.
• Meaningful campaign finance reform to restore public trust.

• Ensure accessible, independently auditable, accurate voting.

13. All Progressives Congress on Gun Control:
• Right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation.

• Reauthorize assault weapons ban, close gun show loophole.

• Strengthen gun control to reduce firearm violence.

14. All Progressives Congress on Health Care:
• No arbitrary insurance policies cancellation; ban pre-existing conditions

• Preserve promise of Healthcare through competition in market force; don't just privatize or voucherize.

• Make access to affordable health care law of the land

• Seek cost cutting measures and operational efficiency that would enable affordability and coverage expansion

• Add prescription drug benefits to Healthcare.

15. All Progressives Congress on Security:
• Confront terrorism without reservations, while upholding Constitutional values.

• Lead the world by telling truth to our troops & our citizens.

• Excessive use of our military breeds more terrorists.

• We respect and honor our veterans.
• Lead in the struggle against the three major societal menaces: War on Terror, WMDs, and suppressive governments

• Reform intelligence community internationally and locally

• Add Rebuild our arm forces and improve their combat preparedness; recruit more soldiers and keep a military of all-volunteer • Focus on cargo containers and border security.

• Equip military for new threats and missions.

• Encourage military careers with better pay & benefits.

• Upgrade military with advanced combat capabilities, superiority and technological advantage

• Develop national missile defense system.
16. All Progressives Congress on Immigration:
• Initiate and achieve comprehensive reform.
• Protect immigrants from exploitation by employers

• Secure our borders
17. All Progressives Congress on Jobs:
• Bridge to Work: help the long-term unemployed.

• Create jobs that stay in Nigeria.
• A strong Nigeria begins with good jobs that support families.

• Change tax system to encourage investments, both domestic and foreign • Protect workers' right to collective bargaining

The rights of all workers must be protected through vigorous enforcement of labor laws

• Progressives must strengthen safety net for family farmers.

18. All Progressives Congress on Principles & Values:

• Progressives promise to address important issues in Congress.

• New vision for Nigerians: strong at home, respected abroad.

• Progressives need bold, innovative ideas, not ideology.

• Strong anti-discrimination law is needed
• Appoint judges committed to interpretation of the law and not enactment, protection of Constitutional rights.

19. All Progressives Congress on Retirement & Pension:

• Strengthen and fund promise of Pension program; oppose its privatization • Protecting the promise of Pension is absolute.

• Bar practice of keeping retirement funds in company stock.

• Oppose raising retirement age
• Provide National Security Number at Birth.
20. All Progressives Congress on Tax Reform:
• Cut taxes for every working family, but not millionaires.

• Cut taxes for middle class, not the wealthy.

• Cut taxes for working families, not richest 1%.

21. All Progressives Congress on Technology:
• Recognize and defend Internet freedom worldwide.

• Put science ahead of ideology in research and policymaking.

• Vigorous federal highway and transit initiatives.

• Every home should have Internet access.
• A big priority is to grow new economy.
• Electronic bill of rights will protect privacy & kids.

22. All Progressives Congress on War & Peace:
• “Name and shame” terrorist sponsors.
• Focus on terrorist countries and sponsors to avoid renewing terrorist haven.

• Focus on preventing terrorism by a strong commitment to education in terror friendly countries Need a plan to “keep the peace” in Nigeria and Neighboring Countries.

23. All Progressives Congress on Welfare & Poverty:

• Partner with faith-based organizations to serve the needy.

• Address abject poverty, don't ignore
• Line in the sand: protect entitlements (but it needs reform).

• Raise minimum wage and expand middle class.

• Reform and protect our National youth Service Corp (NYSC)

• Make it a felony to assault or harm a corpper, punishable by a mandatory 20 years prison sentence and twenty million Naira fine

• National Youth Services, should encompass student exchange programs while in school, clubs; drama, quiz, etc.

24. All Progressives Congress, others to do list:
• Improve and engage Black Americans in businesses and exchange programs and need to return home by creating an enabling environment

• Eliminate Corruption aggressively, restore sanctity in the military and security agencies with commensurate disciplinary actions, not limited to jail terms and court - Marshalls. Fish out connivances and compromises within law enforcement agents and criminals, including the general public.

• Reinstate Emergency # 199 for the police and fire department with commensurate ambulances, police patrol vehicles and proactive personnel. Also reinstate Emergency #s for utility services, poisons control, abuses, etc.

• Change the attitude of Phone and Mail response in all sectors and set response time and honor compliance and complaints.

Stop telecommunication extortions to a reduced rate of $50 per month as in United States, incentives and internet inclusive. Decentralize National Communication Commission (NCC) and review operating licenses attract to

attract more, most especially in the area of fast internet connectivity and reliability.

• Upgrade jails, prisons, detentions centers and cells to meet international standards with commensurate recreational and learning centers, including digital technology. This aspect is serious business and money yielding for any government and the best options is to commercialized or outsource to specialized investors.

• Upgrade the judicial system to international standard with men and women of highest integrity, with commensurate service level agreement, professionalism and best practices, incorporate and practice jury services. The judiciary system must obey and adhere to the rule of law, fast track -track all cases with fairness.

• Boost tourism to encompass each geological zones and task Nigerians embassies abroad with promotion responsibilities and work with in country-foreign embassies.

• Empower Population Commission for data coalitions and computation. Fully incorporate the participation of local governments in their programs.

• All local governments must develop detail and data accurate-economic viable feasibility studies with openness for verification. Local governments must be tasked to liaise with financial institutions to create sustainable jobs, and maintain quality control in manufacturing.

• Develop a comprehensive information data of churches and mosques, including board of trustees and management team, including names and verified addresses. All clergy's background and finger prints must performed quarterly and must obtain certificates of good standing and must be displace at place of worship, including source of funding and disbursement of funds and projects executions. Particulars of donors and contributions must be reported quarterly with issuance of receipts. All management photographs and organogram must be displaced at location.

Stop lotto mining and businesses, issue verifiable and genuine licenses to engage in mining, etc., apprehend local and foreign scouts, to pay mandatory royalties.

• Bribery and corruptions, stealing, lootings and negligent to work (redundancies and idle workers) must be severely addressed with commensurate and timely punishments. Fraudulent actors and activities, must pay back even when serving jail term. All atrocities must be published and announced immediately.

• Downsize entire workforce to the barest minimum, provide adequate remunerations, incentives and increase productivity and efficiencies. Retirement and pension benefits must be paid as at when due without restrictions. Introduce payroll system and direct debit process and eliminate payment vouchers. Bids must be transparent and, contractors and vendors payments must displayed biweekly, monthly or as at when due.

• All levies, fines, taxes, charges must be directed to appropriate accounts. All persons must be issued verifiable receipts.

• Honor and immortalize all who die in national service and in keeping Nigerian sovereignty. In 90 days or less pay all100% benefits to families and provide continuous support and lifetime encouragements.

• Undertake reliable power supply with the option of energy saving and green energy. Decentralize energy supply systems and encourage community energy participatory supply. Make suppliers/distributors directly answerable to clients and must guarantee customer satisfaction. Ensure consumers' only pays for what is recorded consumed. All unauthorized pole climbing must be prostituted with server penalty.

• Department of social services should be tasked with issuance of national insurance number (#) or social security number (#) for each individual from birth and enforce child support and care and responsibilities of unborn child out of wedlock, abandonment , neglect, bullying and abuse, etc. Designated 24/7 Hotline be put in place with recording capability.

Incorporate a new department to maintain innovation, creativity, patentability should be established or merged with similar ones. This a huge money making venture internationally.

• Elected officers must be tasked to arrange community quarterly meetings for community developments and job creations in conjunction with police department. Encourage handworks and handcrafts and small business groups for routine assistance.

• Agricultural sector should be fully revived and revitalized, with export driven potentials. Build small airport strips to export/carry out produce, including temperature control preservations centers.

• Enforce the use of credit and debit cards and reduce to the barest minimum carrying huge amount of cash monies and financial institutions should tasked to report money launderings and financial misappropriations.

• Nigerians in Diaspora must be considered voting in future elections and this must have with the next four years, voting at national elections, e.g. the presidency.

• Health Care Services, introduce compulsory health insurance for all and tasked with provision of genuine drugs and generic drugs. At no time should patients be turned back and rejected from hospitals.

• Substitute auxiliary nurses for certified nurse assistance or healthcare assistance and enlarge their curriculum to encompass the teste of time and incorporate in high schools curriculum; first aid and CPR trainings.

• Maximally revise transparency, energize the following sectors; land, oil, agricultural, mineral act, laws to attract.

• Solicit from Industrialized nations, participation in outsourcing opportunities and increase working in Nigerian to 24 hours per day, etc.

Signed:
Francis John
Executive President