Vice President Shettima says: Tinubu means well for Nigeria.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Thursday, called on Nigerians to rally around President Bola Tinubu as he works to address the country’s socio-political, economic, and security challenges.

Shettima spoke in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of a book titled ‘Navigating the Politics of Universal Education Policies in Nigeria’ authored by Prof Modupe Adelabu, a retired professor of Educational Administration at the Department of Educational Management at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Shettima assured Nigerians that the benefits of the tough measures being implemented would soon be evident.

The Vice President emphasised that the focus should not be on lamenting the nation’s past or present difficulties but on finding solutions to the core challenges.

The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Pius Akinyelure, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as former Ekiti governors – Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, Kayode Fayemi, the Mandate Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory on Health Services and Environment, Adedolapo Fasawe, former and serving lawmakers, traditional rulers, and industry leaders were in attendance at the book launch.

Shettima said: “In President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we have a leader that we can invest our trust in. I’m not playing politics, I’m speaking from the heart. I have seen the soul of Bola Tinubu, and he has a good soul.

“He means well for the nation. He wants to live in a place of glory. He is not in power to engage in primitive capital accumulation. He is in power to leave landmarks in the sands of time. He is the most demonised politician in Nigeria. The first time I went to his house at Bourdillon, I was looking forward to seeing a mansion comparable to the Buckingham Palace, with gardens, and swimming pools, but there was nothing special about that house. My house in Maiduguri is better than the house in Bourdillon.

“And at the formative stage of the APC, we held a meeting in his house. They served us a variety of meals but he opted to take garri with groundnut for lunch. Since I have known him, he has been using only one wristwatch, and in fact, I dress better than him. He doesn’t even care. He has overcome all those odds to dress well. So we need to rally around this poor man. He has taken some bold steps. The economy that we met was in a huge mess.

“But it wasn’t for us, we were part of the Buhari administration, we cannot deny that. We belong to the political family. It’s not about apportioning blame, but it’s about finding solutions to our nation’s needs. We knew there were challenges. Forget about the politics being played by the Atiku Abubakar and the obedient crowd, they all said they are going to withdraw the fuel subsidy.”

The VP said the economy was now on a path to sustained growth.

“The President had the courage, the political courage, and the willpower to take far-reaching decisions, and it always comes at a price. When a woman is about to give birth, it’s a very painful process but after the child has come forth, it’s a cause for celebration. I believe that posterity will be very kind to this poor man.

“He has taken far-reaching decisions, and the economy, we have crossed the river. The economy is now on a path to sustain growth. We are now exporting about 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, the naira is stabilising against the dollar, and with the food security crisis that is confronting us, we cannot divorce ourselves from the realities in the global space.

“It’s not a localised phenomenon but ours was further compounded by the security challenges in the traditional food basket of the country, the North Central, and the North-West but the security issues will be addressed, and be rest assured that in the coming months, Nigerians will see a sea of change in their fortunes. I want to ask all of us to rally around this poor man.”

Expressing concern over the years of neglect in basic education across northern Nigeria,  Shettima highlighted the troubling involvement of underage children in the recent nationwide governance protests.

He attributed this situation to the breakdown of family values and a dysfunctional family system, where parents increasingly struggle to control their children.

In light of these challenges, the Vice President supported the views of Senator Olubunmi Ajetunmbi, a discussant at the event, who proposed that development commissions, particularly the North East Development Commission and the newly approved North West Development Commission, should be mandated by state instruments to tackle the issues plaguing basic education, particularly the out-of-school children crisis in the region.

The VP agreed that the commissions should be given a clear timeline to reduce and ultimately curb this growing problem.

While noting that the financial autonomy granted to local councils offers new hope for improving basic education, he, however, clarified that governors were not the villains they are often portrayed to be concerning local council funds.

He urged stakeholders in the education sector and local council administrations to collaborate with governors to effectively address the challenges in the education system.

Discussing the book, Adetunmbi highlighted the alarming figure of 17.8 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, with 13.1 million of them in the northern region.

He stressed that this issue was not only a threat to national security but also a looming human resources and economic disaster if left unaddressed.

Adetunmbi argued that this predictable challenge could be proactively managed through strategic measures, including legislation, a national dialogue on basic education, decentralisation, and the domestication of education policies to meet the specific needs of each region.

A former minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, noted that the Universal Basic Education Commission law needed to be reviewed to expand its scope beyond merely providing funds for infrastructure, suggesting it should also focus on enhancing the quality of education.

On her part, Erelu Bisi Fayemi added that education policies should no longer be gender-blind, advocating for measures to ensure that girls have access to quality and affordable education by providing them with the necessary resources and removing barriers to their educational advancement.

The book’s author, Adelabu, explained that her 197-page, nine-chapter book was inspired by the inseparable link between education and politics.

She emphasised the need to use political power to galvanise quality, accessible education for all.