The presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Oby Ezekwesili, in Kaduna on Thursday said she had the competence and capacity to rescue Nigeria from the current socio-economic and security challenges.
The presidential candidate who argued that the country is where it is today because of incompetent leaders, said she had what it takes to resolve Nigeria’s complex challenges.
The challenges, she said, included socio-economic and security challenges currently bedeviling the land.
She spoke to journalists shortly after addressing women, youths, schoolchildren and people living with disabilities as she inaugurated her presidential campaign in the state.
At the Arewa House, Kaduna where she addressed women and people with disabilities, Ezekwesili said Nigeria had no reason to be a failed state.
She said it was time for people of good conscience to rescue the nation.
She said she was in the race to save Nigeria from being led by incompetent leaders.
“When you are tired of mediocrity, the only person who you can think of is Oby Ezekwesili who is offering herself to lead,” she said.
On leadership in Nigeria, she added, “We have lacked quality leadership in Nigeria. It doesn’t matter that all those that have governed us are men. It doesn’t make any difference in the quality of life of Nigerians.
“I am that candidate with the competence and capacity to solve the complex problems that seem to have bedevilled us for so long.
“We cannot afford to have many more millions of Nigerians to join more than 87 million that are already poor.
“I have always been known in this society as one who has a strong voice for the fact that Nigeria can be better than it is now. Nigeria has no reason to be a failure and that is why I am running in this election.
“What I need is that, this society must be mobilised immediately to see how we can come out of the whole failure and incompetence they have thrown us into.”
On security, she said if elected, she would have zero tolerance for those causing crisis in the country.
“We will send signal to those that have been coming to our country to kill our people. Our government today acts as if we are a weak country. Those people will get a signal that a new Sheriff is in town,” she added.
On economy, she said her governmemt would run a private sector-driven economy as being practised in other climes.
“We will run an economy that is well deregulated, where the private sector that is supposed to be leading will lead. We will make sure that competitiveness and productivity are the hallmarks of our private sector,” she declared.
