Obi said he intends to stop the under-representation of critical components of the society in decision-making such as women, youth, and the vulnerable in our midst.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has said he would work towards giving women a 35-40 per cent representation in his team if he is elected next year.
Obi stated this over the weekend when he met the Queens College Lagos’ Old Girls’ Association who were marking the 95th anniversary of their alma mater.
The LP standard bearer said female representations in his government will be assured, recalling that as governor of Anambra State, his administration achieved close to a 60-40 gender balance in appointive and elective positions while that of federal government hovered around 30 to 35%. Obi assured the women that his Presidency if elected “intends to progressively aim for between 35-40%, with aggressive gender mainstreaming action plan and rigid benchmarks.”
Obi said that his Presidency if elected in 2023 will recreate a nation where the rich and the poor are equitably and fairly represented and a country where citizens’ interests will supersede political interests and the existing trust gap between the government and the governed will be reduced to the barest minimum.
He announced that education is central to his government policy thrust, adding that he would pursue a Marshal plan-type programme on education that incorporates compulsory technical and vocational skills, sports, entrepreneurship, programming, and digital skills from primary to the secondary level.
“And ‘Inevitably, we will improve access to finance, MSMEs, youths and women, to significantly reduce unemployment and insecurity,” he said.
According to the former Anambra State governor, “We will introduce a mandatory ‘No Child left Behind’ educational policy, mindful that Nigeria’s inadequate investment in the social sectors – health, education, and housing has resulted in the current dismal social and demographic trends reflected in low life expectancy, high maternal mortality rate, large number of out-of- school children, huge unmet housing needs as well high youth unemployment.
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“Our government shall prioritize education to serve the following functions: technical and industry relevance; alignment with local comparative advantages and factor endowments; modern skills proficiency, critical thinking, ethical citizenship values, global competitiveness, and talent export.”
Obi said he also plans to “prioritise a structured approach to developing the digital skills of our young population to give them the competitive advantage to receive offshore jobs in the new gig economy, while also improving the efficiency and productivity level of our economy.
“The Obi-Datti administration, when elected President of Nigeria, will sustain national development. Our governance principles, priority projects and programmes shall be anchored on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
Obi noted that experience shows that inclusiveness is an essential element in effective public policy making, pointing out that he intends to stop the under-representation of critical components of the society in decision-making such as women, youth, and the vulnerable in our midst.
The presidential candidate told the Queens College Old Girls that if elected President he would “from its inception, encourage investment in infrastructure, energy, transport, irrigation, and telecoms and education with gender mainstreaming and social inclusion in education, enterprise and politics will always be a priority.”
Obi added that he also plans to reset and reboot Nigeria in all ramifications –leadership and governance, security of life and properties, economic and political freedom.
