Dumebi Kachikwu, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says he plans to ban public officials from sending their children to foreign schools or going for treatment abroad if given the mandate in 2023.
Mr Kachikwu said this on Monday in Abuja, when he briefed journalists on the content of his campaign manifesto.
He said the plans to transmit the draft bill of the Nigerian Patriot Act to the National Assembly in his first interface with lawmakers to restrict public officers from sending their children abroad as well as stop medical tourism abroad.
He said if elected as president, his first executive interface with the National Assembly will include a bill on Nigerian Patriot Act.
“It is a bill of equality and fairness. It is a bill that says we are all in this together. It will ensure that public servants cannot use the privileges they cannot provide to the common man.
“Anyone who desires to be in the public service must use the same services the masses use. No private or foreign schools for their families, no private or foreign hospitals for us or their families.
“There will be no generators or boreholes in our homes too so we can provide steady power and good water.
“If we desire efficient and effective education, healthcare, utilities, we must make it available to all so that we may all equally benefit from it. This is how we will build a nation that works for everyone,” he said.
The presidential candidate also said he would prioritise the use of the internet which he said was the highway of the future.
Mr Kachikwu said his leadership understood the internet was the highway of the future and would strive to build critical broadband infrastructure.
He said broadband would be made available and affordable for all because this was the only leverage the present generation of youth and the next generation has to bridge the gaps between their foreign counterparts.
“For kids to compete in the new world, my administration will work with the state governors on a plan that will aid the federal government to invest in national trunks for power and telecommunication.
“While the state governments and private sector participants will focus more on the state distribution, we will harness all sources of energy to provide power to our people while giving preference to clean energies.
“We must re-plan our cities and build-out modern infrastructure across our country so as to reverse the rural-urban migration that threatens most of our communities,” he said.
Mr Kachikwu said the concept of youth migrating abroad in search of greener pastures would soon become a thing of the past, as his administration would strive to protect the interest of the nation’s best brains.
“It makes no sense to allow the brain drain occasioned by the migration of the middle class when all they seek is security.
“I understand that our urban professionals are migrating in search of good jobs, good and affordable homes, healthcare, and constant power and I will make these a standard in all our cities
“Visionless leadership cannot continue to lead our people astray, my administration will work to elevate millions of farmers to agri-preneurs and transition farming to agribusiness.
“We will turn Nigeria into the food factory of Africa, providing millions of good paying jobs for the middle class and ending urban migration,” he said.
(NAN)
