My priority if I were the number 1 citizen

One thing I've noticed about well-to-do countries is the fact that a very good percentage of their population are educated. For any country to progress and be a top nation, most of the citizens have to be educated.

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One of the issues with my country, Nigeria is the low education level. There are a lot of out of school children. In addition to that, the quality of education, especially for most public schools isn't to the highest standard. I intend to change all that if I were president of my country for a day.

Here's how I would do it. One of the main reasons why children are out of school most times is the finance. In such cases, parents usually don't have enough money to sponsor their kid's education. Because of this reason, I would make education, especially at the basic levels totally free of charge. This way, any and every child can go to school without the issue of fees being a hindrance.

Education would be mandatory. Even at the highest level, I would subsidize education so that adults can also go to school without having to bear so much financial burden.

It's not just about getting education, the quality of education matters as well. Which is why part of my plans will be to ensure that the best teachers are employed into government owned schools. In addition to that, they will be paid a handsome amount as salaries. I believe that the best teachers are crucial to shape the minds of the kids who are the future of the nation. I would also ensure that the lecturers in higher institutions are paid enough to deliver top notch education.

When the masses are educated enough and enlightened, it becomes difficult for the politicians to deceive them. Politicians in this part of the world are known for deceiving the citizens. One common example is promising all manner of things, including basic amenities which is their duty to provide, yet when they get elected, they abandon their promises.

I believe enlightened citizens would make better decisions regarding leadership and this is the first step towards building a great nation. Such citizens can see through the lies of most politicians and elect the proper and qualified persons into position.

In addition, when leaders know that the citizens are wise and educated enough, they wouldn't want to perform terribly. The citizens would demand accountability. They would demand good leadership, as well as development. They would demand that public funds be used properly for the good of the nation and not be siphoned into personal pockets, and when a leader can not meet these demands, that leader would be sacked from office by the same people who elected them there.

Education would also reduce the rate at which the people are being divided across ethnic and religious lines. These are the tools corrupt people in power exploit to make sure they get away with bad leadership.

You can see that with proper, widespread education, the citizens will no longer be as gullible, they know what the proper things should be, they can think for themselves and their future as a nation. This way, any country can develop to be one of the best in the world.