From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, yesterday, promised to create an environment for students to thrive if elected president.
He stated this during a meet with university students in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
Obi, who has enjoyed huge support from Nigerian youths said under his reign, Nigerian students would enjoy an environment that would unluck their talents, referencing some of the biggest tech companies like Facebook and Google which were created by students.
The former Anambra governor said his government then created a thriving environment for Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, among others to thrive .
He promised loans and grants for small and medium-scale businesses formed by students if he was elected President. This, Obi said, would be top riority for his government.
On the dichotomy between polytechnic and university education, he said technology remained the future of the country and that under him polytechnics would be at the core of producing technical graduates who will drive the technological advancement of the country.
Obi also said Nigeria needs prayers and that this explains he attended church events.
He stated this during a visit to former prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria and a former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), His Eminence Sunday Mbang, at his residence. He said his regular attendance of church events had nothing to with politics.
Obi stated this against the backdrop of criticisms from the opposition parties that he was frequenting religious gatherings to curry votes. He said Nigeria not only needs an agile, healthy, and visionary leader, but also prayers. He urged religious leaders to speak truth to power as the church was not left out of the country’s challenges, citing the kidnapping of priests in the North Central and North West regions.
The cleric decried Nigeria’s current situation, saying the country was battling with endemic poverty and insecurity.
Mbang said Nigeria must be steered to its glory by an agile and healthy leader who would work for the people and not members of a cabal or his political party.
He urged Obi to ensure he keeps to his promises if he is elected otherwise history will be unkind to him, saying millions of Nigerians see him as the last hope to rescue the country.
Meanwhile, the Fulani Youths in Nigeria, has unanimously endorsed Peter Obi.
Leader of the group, Ibrahim Abdullahi, explained that the country needed someone who would be fair to every region, which Obi represented.
He said support for Obi would heal the wounds caused by the civil war which led to the killing of thousands of people.
“Of course, the present president is our kinsman. But we have come to realise that we do not need our own or people you share the same faith with to become the president before your lots improve. We need somebody that is honest. We need somebody that is just and fair. When you have that he should come from Jupiter, there is no problem. So the Nigerian-Fulani are no longer after tribal, ethnic and religious sentiment. We are looking for a leader that is capable of bringing Nigeria to the Promised Land.”
“We have realised over the years that these two tribes– the Fulani and the Igbo hold 99% of the corporate existence of Nigeria. The Igbo has a control of about 80 to 90% of commerce and industry in Nigeria.