By Halimah Olamide
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday assured that his administration would give quality education to Nigerian children. The President also said Nigerian youths deserve good jobs.
His assurances came amidst distress in the education sector in Nigeria with fallen quality amidst exodus of academic staff who are seeking greener pastures out of the country.
Tinubu spoke when he hosted members of the National Working Committee of the All Progressive Congress who paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday in Lagos.
Tinubu expressed support for the establishment of the National Institute of Progressive Studies by the party.
The President noted that the Institute is expected to conduct diligent research and educate all party members on the principles of democracy and good governance while providing a distinct identity for the party.
”Democracy has faced challenges in the past, but I believe in a promising future for our country. We will deliver it.
I am committed to supporting a strong and ideologically-determined democracy that is progressive, inclusive, and focused on eliminating poverty while providing quality education for our children.
”Collaboration with various government arms is crucial, and I commend the leadership of our party for working hard to promote these essential ideals,” the President stated.
The President called on the leadership of the party to target more youths and women in its e-registration and digital membership validation exercise scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.
”I stand solidly with you in the advancement of the progressive ideological stance of our party and we will pursue it with vigour,” he stated.
Tinubu thanked members of the party for the overwhelming show of support to him during the campaigns, the electoral victory, and with the affirmation of his presidency by the Supreme Court.
”It has been a while since we have had the opportunity to come together, especially since the Supreme Court ruling.
I had hoped for a gathering, but the demanding tasks of my office that we fought for have called for increased focus, dedication, and time,” the President said.
Expressing concern on the alarming figure of out-of-school children in the country, Tinubu said: ”We must address this issue by establishing more schools, recruiting teachers, and providing at least one meal a day for the school children, aligning with the progressive ideology we aim to pursue.”
The National Chairman of the All Progressives’ Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje informed the President that plans are being put in place by the NWC to ensure the success of the party in the coming bye-elections into National and State legislative houses in February 2024.
”We assure Your Excellency that under our leadership and with your consent, strategies have been put in place to win the support of our people and secure all the seats available for the electoral contest,” he said.
A United Nation’s Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation statistics in 2022 put the number of out-of-school children at 20 million.
Many Experts believe that the figure has increased astronomically given the impacts of the last one year of insurgency, disasters such as flood and others.