Obi assures of equal representation between the rich, poor

• Sets to wipe out gender inhibitions

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi has said that his government, if elected in 2023, will recreate a nation where the rich and the poor are equitably and fairly represented.

Obi added that under his administration, citizens’ interests will supersede political interests, while the existing trust gap between the government and the governed will be reduced to the barest minimum.

Obi gave the assurance in a remarks  at the weekend at the Queen’s College Lagos old girls’ Association who were marking the 95th anniversary of their alma mater

The LP standard bearer, according to a

from Obi-Datti Media Office, assured that female representations in his government will be accorded priority,

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%.

He assured the women that his Presidency, if elected, “intend to progressively aim for between 35-40%, with aggressive gender mainstreaming action plan and rigid benchmarks”

Obi, who declared that education is central to his government policy thrust, said he will 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.

“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”, he said.

Obi said he intends, also, to “prioritize 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”.

Continuing, he said, “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 midsts.

The LP presidential candidate told the Queen College Old Girls that if elected President he will “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 also expressed his Commitment to the well being of the Girl Child and Women pointing out that this will be fully reflected in his  broad and gender-specific policies.   

He also plans to reset and reboot Nigeria in all ramifications –leadership and governance, security of life and properties, economic and political freedom and this according to the candidate “will entail the promotion of intangible assets that underpin democracy; namely, good governance, rule of law, security of lives and properties and robust institutions. There will be visible and measurable indices of governance the people can experience.