2019: NRM presidential candidate Usman Alhaji begins campaign
By Angela Atabo
Mr Usman Alhaji, presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) on Wednesday rolled out his plans for the country if elected president in 2019.
Alhaji used the opportunity to unveil his campaign policy document.
Unveiling the document titled: “Rescue Policy Plan ‘’ in Abuja, Alhaji promised to declare State of Emergency in the Education sector and establish a Bank of tertiary Education (BTE) to cater for the education of indigent people.
He said that the policies were hinged on a rescue derived from a five project-plan to be addressed through a short-term, medium and long term implementation plan.
“The plan is to allow every individual willing to go to school to have funds to do so by using their primary and secondary certificates as collateral to access funds to further their education.
“If elected president, my administration will also establish a National Teachers and Lecturers Development Funds, Universal Free Education for All Children and Tertiary Education Research Implementation Support Program.
“All these are because education is extremely important in the organisation of modern society, so, education and human capital development are catalyst to national development.’’
The presidential candidate also said that he would overhaul the nation’s education and healthcare systems aimed at discouraging medical tourism, and to ensure that children of public servants attended public schools.
He said that there would be National Health Insurance Scheme for all Nigerians to enable them have easy and cheap access to healthcare.
He said that the allowance of National Youth Service members would be increased to N50,00 with a grant of N1 million after service as take-off money for entrepreneurship.
Alhaji said that his national security plan had two models – with one part dealing with the removal of the factors that caused Nigerians to indulge in insecurity and the second part to punish perpetrators.
He said he would establish a National Defence Procurement Council and Weaponry Identity Management System so that the nation could account for its defence money and keep tab on its weapons even when stolen.
He said that he would improve the power sector which would in turn transform the economy into a productive one, to make the economy open for investors.
The presidential candidate said that the idea was to boost the non-oil and agriculture sectors to shift the narrative from a consumer economy to a productive one.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 48-year-old Usman Alhaji was born in Makurdi, Benue, but he is an indigene of Kebbi.
Alhaji is a graduate of Library and Information Science from the University of Maiduguri and an educationist.
He had served in many places among which are the National Library of Nigeria where he served as Head of Digitisation and Digital Collection.
His Campaign Director, Mr Abdullahi Bello, said Alhaji was picked to fly the party’s flag in the spirit of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Act to pass a message that youths could do better.
Bello urged youths to throw their weight behind the NRM candidate to change the narrative of leadership in the country.
