I Will Run Youths And Women Government, Obi Assures In Port Harcourt

…..says Education will be well funded.

The Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi said at a town Hall meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Capital on Thursday that his administration if elected will be driven by youths and women mostly.

This Obi said does not mean the old people will not be there but they will be mostly advisers and we will respect them, but the youths will spearhead the government.

“This government is going to be a youth and women government. The old people will be there as advisers, they will guide us, we will respect them but the youth will Spearhead it”

Obi told a crowded Town Hall meeting made up of largely youths and students that he will increase education funding and grant autonomy to the Universities, also grant loans to the students, and ensure that strikes in the Education sector are nipped in the bud finally.

“A government that refused to recognize the impact of education on development is doomed,” he said.

He reiterated what is contained in his manifesto that education will be well funded, “I said we will fund education, we will increase the funding. We will invest in education because the greatest investment any society can do is education. The more educated a society is the more developed they are.

LP flag bearer regretted that we continue to talk about physical infrastructure in this country when we have not built the human infrastructure, which is education. “So we will fund education at the tertiary level through collaborations, the government will bring the money and we can also get some corporations to support and we will give students loans. Universities should be able to manage their resources, so they don’t have to shut down.

Obi noted that in the Nigeria University system as it stands today “So many things are not adding up but I will sit down with ASUU and we will discuss.

He assured the cheering crowd of mostly students “I will not allow them to make your stay 8 years for a 5 years course. 5 years will be 5 years. If I have a problem with ASUU it is between me and them. You shouldn’t suffer for our disagreement.

He said that as President he will participate in the running of the Universities “I assure you that when I become president I will visit at least 10 universities in a year. I visited over 500 secondary schools when I was a governor in Anambra. And all their school prefects have my phone number and I deal with them directly.”

He said that if elected it means the system will work because that will be the reason for electing me “to make universities work, so I am going to visit the universities and make them work.”

Obi also met with the Rivers state traditional rulers in their chamber where he was warmly received by their Chairman, His Majesty, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja, the Amanyanbo of Opobo.

He was accompanied by the leadership of the party and the campaign council.