The former Anambra State governor identified education and healthcare as the pillars of his human capital development agenda.
By Saidu Idris
365Daily -The presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pledged to make national unity and human capital development the cornerstone of his administration, promising sweeping reforms in education and healthcare to drive economic growth and national transformation.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Wednesday, titled “My Vision for a Productive and Prosperous Nigeria,” Obi said his presidency would focus on uniting Nigerians while building a productive economy anchored on investments in people.
“When I decided to contest for the office of President of Nigeria, I pledged to place Nigeria on the path of unity and national transformation,” Obi said.
He added that his administration’s roadmap would seek to “curb abuse in government, halt the decline in the quality of life of Nigerians at all levels, and usher in an era of unity, peace, sustained progress, and prosperity.”
According to Obi, the vision is founded on “unity, inclusion, social justice, equity, and the freedom of every citizen to pursue lawful dreams.”
The former Anambra State governor identified education and healthcare as the pillars of his human capital development agenda, describing a skilled and healthy population as the foundation of national progress.
“A robust human capital is indispensable infrastructure for national progress. It serves as the fundamental capital upon which daily life, economic expansion, and the delivery of essential public services depend,” he said.
To address the country’s education challenges, Obi pledged to establish a presidential task force to drastically reduce the number of out-of-school children from the first day of his administration.
He also promised to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), saying it would support his industrialisation agenda through agriculture, value addition and the establishment of industrial parks across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
Obi said his government would increase funding for TVET institutions and encourage partnerships involving government, the private sector and faith-based organisations to create apprenticeship opportunities similar to Germany’s dual education system.
He lamented the paradox of high unemployment alongside the shortage of skilled labour, which he said has forced many Nigerian entrepreneurs to establish businesses outside the country.
“The situation in which unemployment remains high while Nigerian entrepreneurs establish businesses elsewhere because skilled labour is scarce must be confronted decisively,” he said, adding that the reforms would help shift Nigeria from a consumption-driven economy to a production-driven one.
Obi further promised to strengthen character and civic education to promote trust, responsible leadership and shared national values, insisting that such values are essential for enterprise, governance and national development.