TheCable

Christopher Imumolen, presidential candidate of the Accord Party (AP), says he will prioritise education if elected president in the forthcoming election.

Imumolen said this during his interactive session with the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, Nigeria’s numerous challenges are a result of low-quality education.

“The problem of education is a big one. I will prioritise education. I will be dedicating nothing less than 20% of our budget to education,” Imumolen said.

“As it is today, we have about just 6.5% of our budget to education in a country that has over 18.5 million people out of school.

“We are in a country where 97.5 million Nigerians live in poverty. We are still a third-world nation and education must be given a priority.

“I will ensure that Nigerians have education at a very subsidised rate and if possible, free from primary to secondary school.”

Imumolen said his commitments to education were already proven in his private sponsorships of students across the country.

“Right in this hall, those that came with me are not politicians but students that have benefited from my scholarship,” he said.

“There is no state in Nigeria where I don’t have up 200 students on scholarship being sponsored from my personal money.”

Imumolen said Nigerians, particularly the younger ones, would experience a new wave of opportunity upon his election as president in 2023.

He said it was time for young people to assume leadership roles and for elders to serve in an advisory capacity.

“One of the ways to generate wealth is to help states to identify and harness their resources and help them to trade internationally,” he said.

“Do you know that we have more than 4,000 mineral resources in Nigeria, yet to be harnessed. We are only focusing on crude oil. We are only focusing on easy things.

“It is time for the country to hand over its economy to young and energetic youths to manage like Canada and other developed countries.

“We need young and energetic youth who will work hard to bring back the glory of the country.”