(Peter Obi. Photo Credit: Nation News)
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has outlined his reasons for contesting the presidential election, saying his ambition is driven by a vision of building a “productive and prosperous Nigeria” and placing the country on the path of unity and national transformation.
Obi disclosed this in a statement released on Wednesday via social media.
According to him, in the coming weeks and months, he would unveil a comprehensive roadmap aimed at curbing abuse in government, improving the quality of life of Nigerians, and fostering unity, peace, sustained progress, and prosperity.
The former Anambra governor stated that his vision is anchored on the principles of unity, inclusion, social justice, equity and the freedom of every Nigerian to pursue lawful aspirations.
In the statement titled ‘My Vision for a Productive and Prosperous Nigeria,’ Obi recalled that when he decided to contest for the office of President of Nigeria, he pledged to place the country on the path of unity and national transformation.
He said that as the NDC candidate, he would, in the coming weeks and months, provide insights into a roadmap he believes will help curb abuse in government, halt the decline in Nigerians’ quality of life at all levels, and usher in an era of unity, peace, sustained progress, and prosperity.
He explained that this vision is anchored on a commitment to unity, inclusion, social justice, equity, and the freedom of every citizen to pursue lawful dreams, adding that central to the proposed roadmap are significant reforms in education and healthcare, which he described as core to human capital development.
“Robust human capital is indispensable infrastructure for national progress.
It serves as the fundamental capital upon which daily life, economic expansion, and the delivery of essential public services depend,” he said, describing these as foundational areas that must be reformed with energy and determination in order to reap the demographic dividend of the country’s youthful population.
Obi said that from the outset of his presidency, a task force would be established, dedicated to drastically reducing the menace of out-of-school children.
He added that greater emphasis would be placed on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to support a drive for massive industrialisation, anchored on the country’s agricultural endowments and value addition across value chains organised around industrial parks to be located in development zones across the geopolitical regions of the country.
He further explained that funding and improving the equipment of TVET institutions, through partnerships among government, the private sector, and social entrepreneurs such as faith-based educators, would facilitate apprenticeship opportunities in the private sector, similar to the German dual education system.
“The situation in which unemployment remains high while Nigerian entrepreneurs establish businesses elsewhere because skilled labour is scarce must be confronted decisively.
Doing so is essential for the common good and for facilitating our transition from a consumption-driven economy to a production-driven one,” he said.
He added that character and civic education, emphasising the values that foster trust an essential ingredient for enterprise and leadership as well as shared national values, would receive significant attention within the tripartite approach to governance being proposed.
