NNPP AND THE NEW LOGO

By Chidi Okechukwu

The recent change in logo of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) presents a major opportunity for enhanced education and knowledge as basic policy in the country. At an event in Abuja where the new logo of the party was formally presented to Nigerian voters, having been earlier unveiled at the National Executive Committee meeting of the party and approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), NNPP National leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso explained that the change was a reflection of the party’s leadership’s belief in education as a harbinger of development.
In effecting the change which was a fallout of the confusion that trailed the voters’ inability to easily identify the old logo as it appeared on the ballot paper during the 2023 election, the choice of a graduation cap on a book in the new logo, it is believed, would be a better image of identification which itself conforms to the essential values of the political party.
According to Kwankwaso, the inability of the voters to quickly identify the old logo due to multiplicity of colours which affected the print on the ballot paper created a lot of problems for NNPP voters across the country, a position the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Ajuji Ahmed, also corroborated as a snag during the last election.
Ahmed further said: “Our experience in the last general election when the old logo with its many colours posed a great challenge in the production of the ballot papers gave us a clear indication that, for the party, going forward, there was an urgent need to do something about the logo especially. In fact, in some cases, our voters were confused by the way the old logo came out in the ballot papers across the country.
“As a party focused on going forward, we did not blame anybody, we did not go to tribunals to challenge anyone on account of the way the logo came out in ballot papers throughout the country. Instead, we went on a mission of dialogue and wide consultations within and outside the party, which took us to where we are today”.
Beyond the new logo which has a “graduation cap on a book with inscription ‘Education for All” inserted in white-red-white horizontal stripes” as described by INEC, is the import and substance of the change as critical conviction of the NNPP leadership.
Of course education is very important for the growth and development of any nation, moreso, considering the state of education in the country today. Despite the efforts of succeeding administrations, we still have a relatively low level of literacy and endemic challenges confronting educational development. It is a serious concern nationwide. From inadequate funding to low teacher quality, poor infrastructure to curriculum issues, there is the urgent need for due attention to education and its development in the country.
So, for those who are familiar with the records of the NNPP National leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as governor of Kano State and the incumbent, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, the national chairman, Dr. Ajuji Ahmed and others, making education the face of the party in a new logo is understandable and the nation should take notice. Given the opportunity, it is a cardinal policy that could equally change the educational landscape of the country in the future as we begin to emphasize education as a priority in national budget and development. It all depends on the vision and leadership purpose for being at the helms of affairs and expectations of the people in national reckoning. But certainly the leadership vision is uppermost in positively changing society towards a new order and thinking which clearly recommends education on a large scale as the cornerstone of enlightenment and civilisation.
Looking back now, we can easily connect with the above when we remember that as Kano Governor, Kwankwaso promoted education to the limit with the following landmark legacies: Free feeding and uniforms in all primary schools, retraining of primary school teachers, over 250 new primary schools were built, enrolment jumped from 1,120,000 to 3,678,000, 12,000 Islamiyya schools integrated to conventional schools, built 8,034 adult classes across the state, 5 mega secondary schools, promoted girl-child education, constructed over 120 junior secondary schools, constructed over 3000 classrooms. Built 450 trachers’ lodges, fully equipped physics, chemistry and biology laboratories in 100 secondary schools, sponsored 1,200 students to private universities in the country, and 2,670 to post-graduate and undergraduate courses abroad just as 100 others were also trained as pilots abroad, 100 male students to study MBBS, 100 in Pharmacy and 200 in B.Sc Nursing in top universities abroad. Of course, we cannot overlook the two universities he built which have since trained so many. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is following in the same step by restoring education in the state. In spite of the complaints by his predecessor, he has since sent more students abroad for post-graduate studies and all expenses fully paid, settled tution fees for 7000 indigent students of Bayero University Kano, providing free meals, uniforms, educational materials in primary schools and established 26 skills acquisition centres to train and empower youths across the 44 local governments and infrastructire is equally receiving due attention in public schools. All these were carried out within a year in the saddle.
It is, therefore, not by accident that the new NNPP logo has education as it’s focal point and the inscription “Education for All” is a guarantee that the party is on a mission of national renewal.
Okechukwu wrote from Owerri.