By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Just as the 2023 general election draws near, thirty-eight-year-old Onyeka Nwafor has declared his intention to contest for the seat of the President and also proffered lasting solution to Nigerian’s current challenges.
The economist made his intention known in a press briefing in Awka over the weekend and also said he would contest under the platform of the National Rescue Movment.
According to him, if elected, he will use his youthful energy to fight insecurity and corruption by revamping major sectors such as the education sector, health sector and agricultural sector, to build the nation’s economy.
He noted that he has extensively consulted with his family members, friends, elder statesmen, traditional and religious leaders, genuine business moguls and the masses across the country, to make his intention known.
“I hereby officially announce my decision to run for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the Platform of National Rescue Movement (NRM),” he declared.
He explained that Nigeria, as a country with vast number of highly-skilled, gifted and patriotic citizens whose skills, talents and patriotism, is being frustrated by the inability for the leaders (both past and present) to put in place the enabling system, institutions and policies for the development.
He said: “Over the years, our elected and appointed government officials have made vast majority of our very intelligent teaming youths lose faith in the very fibre that holds us together as an indivisible and indissoluble nation, due to their lack of commitment to keeping their electioneering campaign promises and party agenda.
“The devastating effects of this anomaly are undeniably manifested in our fast-weakening economy, poor education system, prevailing security breaches, unreliable and porous banking system, decline in commercial prospects, inefficient tax administration, ethno-religious crisis, decline in foreign direct investment, skyrocketing unemployment rate, slow and deficient justice system, human rights violation by state and non-state actors, massive corruption in both public and private sectors, capital flight, soaring inflation, unprecedented fall in our Gross Domestic Products, embarrassing rise in foreign debt, ever deteriorating health sector, unprecedented capital flight, massive corrupt practices, housing deficit, epileptic electrical power supply, institutional collapse, poor infrastructure, self-inflicting foreign policies, rural-urban migration, lack of clean water supply, environmental pollution, porous border control, over-dependency on petroleum products, rising poverty rate, unreliable electoral system, intellectual property theft, rise in crime rate, economic sabotage and loss of revenue, threats to national unity, etc.”
Further, he said: “Fixing the streams of problems enumerated above requires a holistic focus on the four (4) key areas of the government functions, namely: education, security, health and electrical power supply. Applying a large sum of the nation’s budget to revamping our education system, ensuring security of life and properties, providing a well-equipped health sector and ensuring steady and uninterrupted electrical power supply across the nation will magically eliminate the myriads of problems currently bedevilling our dear nation and place Nigeria on the global limelight.”
Nwafor blamed Nigeria’s inability to achieve a sustainable efficient system to the continued absence of credible, selfless and purpose-driven leaders in Nigeria’s corridors of power, opining that elective and appointive offices are populated by selfish, unpatriotic and power-drunk political musketeers.
He stated that time has come for all electorates across the nation to drop their religious, tribal, ethnic and ideological rivalries and pull their electoral weights together towards making Nigeria a better place for both the rich and the poor.
While adding that time has come for all to repent from the unwholesome attitude of mortgaging their collective future for the scrubs that fall from the table of politicians at every electoral season, he also noted that time has come for the people to temporarily sacrifice their individual comfort, interest and material gratification for the benefits of the generations yet unborn.
His words: “I am dedicated to bringing the much desired sustainable positive change. I am dedicated to ensuring that the system favours the children of the weak and strong, poor and rich, highly privileged and less privileged. It is my mandate to exterminate the lacuna between the high, middle and low class. It is my mandate to donate a level playing ground to the children of the poor and rich. It is my mandate to activate a system where justice will be accessible and affordable to all and sundry.”
He further revealed that he has demonstrated a convincing degree of patriotism through various social and economic intervention projects to the masses without ethno-religious boundaries or sentiments; which ranges from provision of clean water, free medical outreaches, award of scholarships, poverty alleviation programs, free legal aid to the indigents, skill acquisition and economic empowerment for the middle and small scale business owners, as well as varying security fortification projects with some security agencies. All these I have been able to accomplish and sustain as a non-political office holder.
However, the NRM presidential aspirant urged the entire Nigerian populace and the party faithful to tilt their choice of candidate not towards the highest bidder, but in the direction of someone with clear-cut agenda and the requisite integrity to deliver on his campaign promises and party agenda.
Contributing, the Anambra State Chairman of National Rescue Movement, Engr Leonard Ezenwamma, said NRM, as one of the major political movements in Nigeria, has men and women of high pedigree who have what it takes to rescue Nigeria.
“We are prepared to take the mantle of leadership; APC promised us change, and today you can see that they have failed us,” he said; assuring citizens to join hands and support the party for the rescue of the country.
On his own part, a stakeholder of the party, Chief Gerald Onyebuchi called on the youths to shun corrupt leaders and embrace one agenda, which is to elect a credible youth in the person of Onyeka Nwafor, who has what it takes to effectively pilot the affairs the country and rescue it from further collapse.
