Former Anambra State Governor and Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has outlined a broad vision for national transformation, pledging to prioritise reforms in education and healthcare as the foundation for productive and prosperous Nigeria.
Obi, in a statement posted on X handle on Wednesday, recalled the pledge he made when he first declared his intention to contest for the Presidency, to steer Nigeria toward unity and national transformation.
He said he would in the coming weeks and months, roll out further details of a roadmap he believes can curb abuse in government, reverse the decline in Nigeria’s quality of life, and usher in an era of unity, peace, and sustainable progress.
He said the vision rests on principles of unity, inclusion, social justice, equity, and the freedom of citizens to pursue lawful ambitions, with human capital development, anchored on education and healthcare reform positioned at its centre.
“Robust human capital is indispensable infrastructure for national progress,” Obi said, describing it as the foundation on which daily life, economic growth, and public service delivery depend.
He argued that these sectors must be reformed decisively if Nigeria is to benefit from the demographic dividend of its youthful population.
According to Obi, his administration would set up a task force from day one dedicated to reducing the number of out-of-school children across the country.
He also pledged greater investment in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which he linked to plans for large-scale industrialisation built around the country’s agricultural strengths and value-chain development industrial parks spread across the geopolitical zones.
He proposed funding and upgrading TVET institutions through partnerships between government, the private sector, and social entrepreneurs, including faith-based educators, to create apprenticeship pathways modelled on Germany’s dual education system, which combines classroom instruction with on-the-job training.
Obi said the country could no longer tolerate a situation where unemployment remains high even as Nigerian entrepreneurs relocate their businesses abroad due to a shortage of skilled local labour, calling this a problem that must be confronted to shift Nigeria from a consumption-driven economy to a production-driven one.
He also touched on plans for character and civic education, which he said would emphasise trust, shared national values, the ingredients he considers essential for enterprise and leadership.
He described this as part of broader “tripartite approach to governance,” his administration intends to pursue without providing further details in the statement.
He said additional elements of his policy roadmap would be released progressively in subsequent statements.
