By Saxone Akhaine (Kaduna) and Mansur Aramide (Gombe)
Presidential Candidate of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has pledged to rescue Nigeria’s education sector from collapse and save the country from insecurity and economic problems.
During the party’s rally at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium (ABS), at the weekend, Kwankwaso lamented the poor leadership that has led to the country socio-economic woes.
He said: “Our blueprint is the best for Nigeria. There is no time to enumerate everything because it is a 122-page document. But there are some critical areas, especially education, where we have decided that we will cancel payments for any form either for West African Examinations Council (WAEC) or National Examination Council (NECO) or Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) or application to any institution in this country. The idea is to allow children of the poor to attain the highest level in education.
“At the primary level we are going to build at least 500,000 classrooms for the over 20 million out-of-school children.”
Corroborating the presidential candidate, NNPP National Chairman, Prof. Ahmed Alkali, has assured the country that Kwankwaso, if elected, would take the country to El Dorado.
Asserting that the country is in deep woe, he said only the presidency of Kwankwaso could rescue it from economic and security crises.
Speaking at the North West presidential campaign and handing over of the party’s flag to the governorship candidates from the North West states in Kaduna, at the weekend, Alkali said: “We have a leader in Kwankwaso, who is eminently qualified to drive Nigeria out of crises. He will take Nigeria to the promised land because he has what he takes to deliver the country.”
Earlier, the Secretary, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Buba Galadima, who urged the North to vote their own, described Kwankwaso as the authentic heir of the Sardauna of Sokoto.
The vice presidential candidate of NNPP, Bishop Isaac Idahosa, said: “Nigeria, at this critical time, needs not just a president, but a deliverer and Kwankwaso is the only one that can savee the country from myriad challenges.
MEANWHILE, NNPP has dethroned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the minority leader in Gombe State House of Assembly, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) member representing Kaltungo West, Bashir Barau, defected to the party, yesterday.
Barau was received into NNPP by its Gombe governorship candidate, Khamisu Mailantarki.
Before Barau’s defection, both PDP and NNPP had three seats each in the House. With his defection, the NNPP now has four seats and will consequently produce the minority caucus in the House.
The lawmaker said: “I joined NNPP in the best interest of the state. Both APC and PDP lack the requisite leadership qualities to unite and develop the state.
Since the emergence of Mailantarki as the NNPP governorship candidate, aggrieved members of APC and PDP have been trooping to the party.
Some state lawmakers (two from APC and one from PDP) have earlier defected to the NNPP to increase its presence in the Assembly.
Recently, four former deputy chairmen from Billiri, Kwami and Nafada, and a former councillor defected from PDP to NNPP.
Source: The Guardian
