Obi highlights education, entrepreneurship, national unity during Kano-Zaria tour
Abdullateef Fowewe
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 elections, on Saturday, 14 November 2026, combined a busy itinerary that took him from Kano to Zaria, focusing on education, skills development and political mobilisation.
After earlier engagements in Delta State, Obi travelled via Abuja to Kano, where he served as Special Guest of Honour at the 5th Convocation Ceremony of Skyline University.
In his address, he stressed the central role of education in national progress.
“Education is the bedrock of development. Experience has consistently shown that the more educated a nation is, the greater its level of development,” Obi said.
In a statement shared on Sunday, he praised the university for ensuring every student receives training in entrepreneurship and innovation, noting that such programmes “lay the groundwork for start-ups and SMEs, which remain among the largest sources of employment, important instruments for lifting people out of poverty and significant contributors to the most productive economies.”
Following the ceremony, Obi was joined by his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, for the journey to Zaria in Kaduna State.
There, the pair commissioned the senatorial campaign office of the NDC candidate for Kaduna North Senatorial District, Mohammad Turad Sha’aban, before addressing a town hall meeting.
At the town hall, Obi reiterated the joint ticket’s priorities, “Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and I will work together to unite and secure the country around a shared national purpose. We will confront the deep-rooted and widespread corruption that has impeded Nigeria’s progress for many years. We will vigorously implement policies to reduce the cost of living while making strategic investments in essential sectors, especially healthcare and education, and lifting our people out of poverty.”
He described the town hall format as a way to engage citizens directly and ensure “government policies and programs must be driven by public demand rather than imposed from the top down.”
Obi congratulated the graduating students, commended NDC candidates, and thanked residents of Kano and Kaduna states for their strong turnout and support.
Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party.
Kwankwaso, a former Kano governor, ran under the New Nigeria Peoples Party the same year.
The two later joined forces under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), with Obi as the presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as his running mate for the 2027 polls.
Their ticket has emphasised human capital development, poverty reduction and anti-corruption as core themes.
The Kano-Zaria engagements form part of an ongoing series of town hall meetings and outreach events by the NDC ticket across the country as campaign activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
