Usman Okai-Austin, a political activist and youth leader, has stated that what the North needs most is development, not simply maintaining political power.
Okai-Austin, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the 2023 elections, revealed this in an exclusive interview with BASEMEDIA.
He claimed that despite being in power for many years, northern leaders have failed to address poverty, insecurity, and an increasing number of out-of-school children.
The North seeks development, not empty political power. What is the point of having political power if you don’t help your people out of poverty?Do we have good hospitals in the North now? Do we have well-planned schools for our kids?
He recalled that in order to modernize the system and remove children from the streets, former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was from the South-South, constructed Almajiri schools throughout the North. However, the political analyst claims that the program was not maintained by the succeeding administration.
Jonathan, a Bayelsa native and Christian, launched a program that specifically addressed unemployment and the Northern region’s out-of-school youth.
In the north, Jonathan established what is known as the contemporary Almajiri educational system. “During his administration, 157 Almajiri schools were established,” he stated.
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