2023: What Atiku Said At Arise TV Town Hall Meeting

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has vowed to address the impediments of funding Nigerian universities if elected president in 2023.

Naija News reports that Atiku made this promise while speaking at the Arise News Presidential Town Hall meeting on Sunday in Abuja.

The PDP flagbearer also promised to grow Nigeria’s private sector to an enviable status through education if given the opportunity to be president in 2023.

He said, “The most important thing is education to get our kids educated. And not only educated but rightly educated. And then they can make themselves available to the private sector for growth—which is the engine room of the economy.

“We have to undergo educational reform, so our youth are prepared for the private sector which is the engine of any economy.

“The most important thing is education to get our kids educated. And not only educated but rightly educated. And then they can make themselves available to the private sector for growth—which is the engine room of the economy.

“We should avoid the bottlenecks that stifle the funding meant to get to the universities.”

Speaking further, the former Vice President asserted that security and proper education are required to pull Nigerians out of poverty.

Atiku promised to use available statistics to deal with the issues, adding that investments in education and security would go a long way in addressing the poverty challenge.

He said, “We have all the statistics. We have to get our children educated by the time you educate them they become readily available for the private sector to recruit them.

“The private sector is key to driving the economy. In the private sector in the third-world country, agriculture is the main employer of labour.

“Here again you have to give incentives to the private sector.”

Atiku maintained that under his administration, he would provide incentives to the private sector most of which would go to Small and Medium Scale Enterprises to encourage young people to set up businesses and grow them to create employment.

He recalled that during his time as Vice President, he commissioned a study that proffered solutions to the high number of out-of-school children, especially in Northern Nigeria.

Atiku, however, expressed sadness that none of the northern governors took steps to implement the report which would have gone a long way in substantially reducing the number.