Obi wishes that money collected from presidential aspirants be channeled towards meeting ASUU’s demands
By Emma Ogbuehi
Frontline presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi, has lamented and expressed regret that political parties and politicians in the country are campaigning for 2023 when Nigerian children who should be in school whiling away time at home.
Obi made the lamentation on Wednesday while responding to a question from a Nigerian student when he featured on a popular Abuja-based human rights radio and television station better known as Berekete Family.
The former Anambra State Governor said that he finds it disheartening that the noise of 2023 is dominating the space rather than the plight of Nigerian students wasting away at home and being exposed to all kinds of danger and degradations.
Obi noted that the N40m and N100m being collected for forms from presidential aspirants from the two leading political parties – the PDP and All Progressives Congress (APC), respectively – is enough to meet some demands of the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
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He observed that “the genesis of the ASUU strike is in the inability of government to keep agreements and that stems from the value we place in education which should be the biggest investment.”
Obi said that if he is elected President of the country, he will make Nigeria a producing nation because that is the only way to have a strong and viable economy.
He remarked that the Nigerian economy is down because the operating system is in sharing rather than producing.
When asked how he intends to create a viable economy if elected he said he would “start by cutting off excess wastages that are prevalent in our system.” He gave graphic account of how he did same as Governor of Anambra State and was able to achieve much without owing and having more to invest.
Obi also spoke extensively on how his Presidency will tackle the nation’s persisting problems, especially cohesion, insecurity and power generation, among others.
On security he noted that most of the bandits and gunmen could not have been in the crime if the government had provided for them by doing the needful.
The presidential hopeful told a Nigerian trained doctor who called from Saudi Arabia and wanting to know what he would do if elected to stop the doctors’ flight, that he would encourage the training of more doctors and other professionals for export.
He noted that in the year 2030 there will be scarcity of critical professionals like computer engineers and nurses, adding that nations who plan well can leverage on it and make money exporting them.
The audience of the popular media station across the globe – Italy, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, among others – called in to either ask question or to wish Obi well in the presidential race.
Members of the Berekete family also expressed satisfaction with Obi’s response to issues.