…As area councils strike enters 3rd month
Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
Peter Obi, a former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has decried the prolonged ongoing teacher’s strike in Abuja over the non-implementatiom of the N70,000 monthly minimum wage.
Obi in a statement on his X handle on Thursday, stated that education is the most critical component of human development.
He emphasised that the progress of a country is closely dependent on the education of its people.
“It is a known and verifiable study that the more educated a nation is, the more developed it is. Consequently, the most important investment and policy a nation requires is educating its people, especially children, to secure their future.
“When the strike began, we all thought, ‘This is Abuja; it will only last for a day or two.’ But here we are, three months later, our children are still at home and we are busy renovating the infrastructure” Obi stated.
Obi also warned that ignoring children’s education will affect the economic and security of the country.
He further advised the leaders to get their priorities in place and not focus mainly on physical infrastructure.
“The foundation of societal development is educated citizenry, not physical infrastructure. True development is about building people. It is about educating the next generation.
“We must prioritise investment in human capital, especially in basic education, healthcare, and pulling people out of poverty. That is how nations grow. That is how we build the New Nigeria that is possible,” Obi concluded.
Meanwhile the strike also embarked upon by staff of the six Abuja area councils over the non-payment of arrears of the minimum wage has entered its third month.
