Nigeria’s Abubakar to run for prez:

Nigeria’s former vice president Atiku Abubakar will privatise parts of the country’s state oil company and allow the naira currency to float to attract foreign investment if elected as head of state, he told Reuters.

Abubakar also confirmed that he intends to run in next year’s presidential election, becoming the biggest opposition heavyweight to say he will take on Muhammadu Buhari.

The winner of February’s poll will lead Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation, which is central to regional stability as it battles Islamist militants in the northeast.

Abubakar, a former key ally of President Buhari whose resources helped propel him to power, quit the ruling party in November and rejoined the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) a month later. (RTRS)