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Campaign Manifestoes & the Necessity of Emphasizing Strategy -By Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh

Are you going to have the federal government fund only 6 universities from across the respective components of the 6 geopolitical zones while the respective 36 states of the federation funded state-owned universities in a public-private arrangement apart from the fully funded private universities? Or, are you going to say hey, let all the federal universities in Nigeria come under a public-private arrangement and the states can do same with theirs and stuff?

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Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh

Without sounding like I’m sarcastic, I think that the idea of running issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2023 elections maybe counterproductive after all. And my reason(s) for so submitting concerns the fact that there is a serious disconnect – in terms of perspective – between the electorate’s idea of issue-based campaigns and the politicians’. In other words, a clear ideological disparity in terms of concept is already very obvious to discerning minds.

And this is really dangerous. Take for example, in making his speech during the recent visit to Enugu state of Nigeria by PDP’s presidential standard bearer and his team; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar told his listeners that his presidency will promote a vibrant educational sector as well as efficient healthcare delivery. Now, those two statements are quite bogus, if you ask me and why will anyone make the current government in power appear incapable of fixing education?

For me, I do not believe for a second that the Muhammadu Buhari administration or any of the previous administrations for that matter is insensitive to education or even healthcare. The problem is simply that of effective and 21st century ideas to reposition education to survive in a contemporary and competitive global environment. So, for someone to come and say that he was going to promote a vibrant system, Comrade Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh wants to know how!

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Are you going to have the federal government fund only 6 universities from across the respective components of the 6 geopolitical zones while the respective 36 states of the federation funded state-owned universities in a public-private arrangement apart from the fully funded private universities? Or, are you going to say hey, let all the federal universities in Nigeria come under a public-private arrangement and the states can do same with theirs and stuff?

Or, are you going to grant full autonomy to universities at the federal and state levels or what? This is what the electorates want to know. And this is what they think is issue-based manifesto! On the other hand, promoting an effective healthcare system sounded outlandish. If my memory doesn’t fail me, I think that this is not the first time Nigerians would hear of outlandish manifestoes like this. Yet capital flight in the health sector continued without control.

More than a dozen thousands of our best brains have left the sector for greener pastures abroad in the last 7 years. Does this mean that the government is ineffective? No! I think that in the face of the global economic challenges; our government lacked both the idea and the willpower to birth and implement modern systems of management that encouraged an efficiently run healthcare sector.

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With a country given to deep sabotage and corruption mentality, the electorate is interested to know what every aspirant for the office of president will introduce in order to create efficiency. The hope of the electorate is not different in the other aspects of the country such as insecurity, the economy, arresting the falling Naira, running a robust and happy civil service etc. I do not think that there is a Nigerian today that is willing to endure another trial and error.

Hence, I wish to use this medium to stir the conversation for a correct interpretation of what an issue-based campaign is so as to put the candidates on the same page with the electorate and, to also urge the actors particularly the candidates of the LP, the PDP and the APC to task their content creators on putting out visionary ideas that will stir hope and enthusiasm in the hearts of the greatly fatigued Nigerian masses going forward.

Comrade Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh writes from Abuja 08062577718.

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