Access to education, key to poverty reduction - Obi

Vice Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has underscored the importance of access to education to poverty reduction.

Obi said that Nigeria would successfully move millions of people out of poverty if ‘we invest more in education which remains a key sector of economic growth’.

Obi, who made this known in a message to celebrate the International Literacy Day, said that access to high quality basic education was a globally recognised solution to breaking the chains of poverty, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.

“We are once again provided with another opportunity to reflect on our commitments to education, which remains the easiest and surest way of reducing poverty and fostering economic growth and development. Every Nigerian child deserves access to quality education that will equip him with the knowledge and skills required for the future. Nigerian leaders must therefore encourage education with substantial financial commitment to the sector,” he said.

Obi lamented that over 13 million children were out of school in Nigeria, describing such as a recipe not just for economic stagnancy but also for national disaster. He said that unless Nigerian leaders committed substantial resources to accommodating a greater number of out of school children in education, Nigeria’s economy would continue to limp and national peace and security might continue to elude the nation.