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The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has revealed the second phase of his proposed roadmap for national renewal, promising reforms in education and healthcare, which he described as the foundation for building a productive and prosperous Nigeria.
In a statement posted on his X account on Thursday, Obi said strengthening human capital would be central to his administration’s strategy for tackling poverty, unemployment and insecurity.
“Today, July 16th, in the middle of July, I wish to expand on these two critical pillars – education and healthcare – because they are the bedrock upon which every prosperous nation is built,” he wrote.
“They are the cornerstones of the foundation that will ensure that a son of nobody can become somebody and remove many from the ranks of the disaffected who often become tools in the insecurity challenges confronting us.”
Obi said the proposals build on the first part of his vision, released on July 1, in which he outlined a broader framework for transforming Nigeria from a consumption-driven economy into a production-driven one through investments in human capital, technical education and governance reforms.
Citing global examples, the former Anambra State governor argued that countries that have made sustained investments in education and healthcare have consistently recorded stronger economic growth and better living standards.
“Evidence from around the world shows that quality education and accessible healthcare are among the clearest distinctions between thriving nations and lagging ones,” he said, referencing Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton’s book, The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality.
Rejecting the growing sentiment among some young Nigerians that “education is a scam,” Obi maintained that education remains the surest path to individual advancement and national development.
“Nothing, therefore, could be further from the truth than the claim by some young people that ‘education is a scam.’ Education, when combined with good health, provides the ladder for individual upward mobility and drives economic growth for the nation,” he said.
Obi also pledged to restructure Nigeria’s education system by strengthening collaboration among the three tiers of government and increasing community involvement in primary education.
“We will work through commissions that strengthen collaboration among the tiers of government, ensuring that primary education is domiciled at the community and local government levels, with strong parental involvement and curricula that are sensitive to local economic factor endowments and the value chains derived from them,” he stated.
He added that state governments would receive targeted grants and incentives to expand Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) alongside quality secondary education.
The NDC presidential candidate further pledged to reposition Nigerian universities to become globally competitive by encouraging greater specialisation in teaching and research.
Obi said additional parts of his roadmap would be released in the coming weeks and months as he continues to outline his vision for governance ahead of the 2027 general election.
Roadmap to a New Nigeria That Is Possible – Part II
Education and Healthcare: The Foundation of a Renewed Nigeria
Recall that on July 1st, in Part 1 of “My Vision for a Productive and Prosperous Nigeria,” I outlined the broad framework of my proposed roadmap for national… pic.twitter.com/n3MLiypzXp
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) July 16, 2026
