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From Magnus Eze, Enugu and Felix Ikem, Nsukka
Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has advised Nigerians not to hand the country over to a “sick person.”
This is as he has vowed to end poverty, unemployment, reinvigorate the education and health sectors in Nigeria if elected president on February 25.
He said he would end the recurrent strikes by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which has almost crippled public university education in Nigeria.
Obi made the declaration, yesterday, at the UNN Business School Interactive session titled: ‘State of the Nigerian Economy: The Way Forward,’ held at the Central Bank of Nigeria Auditorium, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, UNEC.
He criticised presidential candidates who have been absent from debates, saying character and competence should be used evaluate whoever will be voted as president.
“This country is sick and should not be handed over to a sick person. I am not saying that anyone is sick. We have been here for over two hours; we don’t want people who can’t stand for 30 minutes. In the United States, during election, they go for debates. Somebody once asked Barack Obama questions that are personal and he answered. But here in Nigeria, somebody wants to contest election, we don’t know his real age; we don’t know his name; we don’t know the schools he attended. Nobody knows his real identity and he is pushing to lead everybody.
“My name is Peter Obi. I can say I went to CKC, went to University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Both the VC today, the DVC today, these are my school mates. We came into university the same year and left the same year. The people I went to school [with], I can see them here today — my seniors and my juniors. How come we now have people who do not have classmates? This is very important,” he said.
Obi said universities should be well-funded, pointing out that there was nothing big about funding the universities.
On insecurity, the LP Presidential candidate said that good governance, provision of jobs and industrialisation would check it in Nigeria.
“If I’m elected in the February 25 election that will not only mark an end to poverty, and unemployment but will also end ASUU strikes in Nigeria, we must recover our country and we have the ability, we are also ready for the job.
My administration will give priority to education being engine room for development since no country can develop more than its level of education,” he said.
Director of UNN Business School, Prof. Josephat Onwumere, said they organised the interactive session so that the presidential candidates could tell Nigerians how they would turn around the economy.
He said it was important that Nigeria produced men with competence who can move the country forward, adding that other presidential candidates would be invited to the school to showcase their manifesto to the world.
Mr. Michael Abuchi, President of the Student Union Government, UNN described Obi as a super lion who has done the University proud as governor of Anambra state as well as all positions held in the country.
