Labour Party (LP), presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has pledged to pull the 20 million out-of-school Northern children into production to boost the country’s economy.
Addressing academics, students and youths at a town hall meeting in Maiduguri on Saturday, he explained why Nigerian students should not fear taking loans from his government to finance their educational pursuits if he is elected in the 2023 elections.
He said jobs would be guaranteed for graduates in the productive society his administration would ensure to enable them to pay their educational loans.
He also reiterated his promise to ensure an end to university lecturers’ strike, saying, “four years of your academic programme will be four; and five years will be five years”.
“It is unfortunate that 20 million northern children are out of school.
“These 20 million children have learnt the Quran, and are, therefore, educated. We will be pulling them out of the streets and equipping them with skills to liberate them from poverty.”
“With skills, I will launch them into production to boost the economy of the country,” Obi said.