Peter Obi: If elected president, 100m poor Nigerians would have access to free medical care

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), says his administration will prioritise the welfare of the poor Nigerians if elected.

Speaking at the Success Conference 2022 on Saturday in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital, Obi said the Nigerian people would be involved in policy formulation and administration.

He said Nigerian youths would be the proponent of his agenda to transform the economy.

“The overall task of our leadership in 2023 is to streamline governance and ensure that it is responsive, transformative, and effective. We will demonstrate that good governance is all about providing the needed services to the people,” Obi said.

“If elected the next president of Nigeria, youths would be the main proponents of my main agenda to transform Nigeria from a consuming nation to a producing nation. The two main components of this agenda are human capital development and finance.

“Under my leadership, the federal government will prioritise the ability of our educational system to produce the necessary skilled labour force that coincides with the 21st-century labour market demand, alongside providing entrepreneurial education at all levels.”

Obi said health and education are vital to the development of the country, promising to ensure “at least 100 million poor Nigerians have access to free medical care”.

According to the World Bank, the number of poor Nigerians will hit 95.1 million in 2022. 

“Given the role of health in reinforcing education in the measure of productivity, my leadership will pay serious attention to the health system by ensuring that at least 100 million poor Nigerians have access to free medical services through an integrated health insurance scheme.

“If elected, we intend to create a professionally managed SME Equity Fund within the first year of office with the goal of promoting the development of at least one value-added industry that will utilise the local raw material supply, be it agricultural or mineral, in every local government in Nigeria.”