• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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2023: I want to be president to restore the dignity of Nigerians – Monye

2023: I want to be president to restore the dignity of Nigerians – Monye

Chukwuka Monye is aspiring to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. In this interview monitored on Channels Television, he spoke on his ambition and how he would salvage the country if elected president. INIOBONG IWOK brings the excerpts:

Why do you want to become the president of Nigeria?

I would like an opportunity to improve lives; to make lives better, but more importantly to restore the dignity of average Nigerian. You probably wonder why I am saying that. I think where we are now as a country, things like the poverty rate for instance, makes one wonder if we have put priority in regards to the dignity of the average human being.

Is it something that can be addressed I believe so. But I felt it has not been a priority and in some instances, I feel when there has been interest and attempt to address these issues, there has not been capacity.

So, I have looked at my capacity and experience and I am saying to myself that Nigeria is not in a good place and it is possible for us to transform things.

What are these skill sets that you possess, because the office of the president is a serious one?

I get asked often what your political skills are. And one of the reasons why that question is misleading is because people have defined political skill to mean something that may not necessarily translate to the skill required to manage a country. What are the skills set? They are many. They include people skills, stakeholder’s management skills, strategy thinking skills, problem-solving skills, international relations skills, and many more.

Is this your first time in politics?

I would not say the first time, I would say the first time in an attempt to govern at the country level, but not politics.

Politics is a way of life. From university days, I became the first black president in a foreign university and in the course of running a corporate entity; there is no way that you have human beings that politics would not exist. So, let me add in the course of my work I have also done a lot of things with the government closely- whether it is Delta State economic summit, or other similar ones.

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Do I have a full appreciation of what is happening? Definitely? Can I bring to the table these other skills that I have acquired from the private sector? Absolutely?

Can I then summarise that I have some whole set of skills that are required? Yes. I am saying all this because a lot of time certain people then stigmatise people in the corporate sector when in reality they have tangible experience.

You can see tangible things they have done? There are some people who would say why don’t you become a councillor first? And the first question I ask them is; what skill set I am acquiring as a councillor? When do I need it? How do I actualise it? And then they pulse, and I said here you go.

Now, we are talking, we need transformation in the country, everybody is using a different language; what are the skills that would make you to restore; help you to transform? Is it the politics as you know it or it is someone, that as change management skills, who has transformation skills; who has international relations skills? We need to move from where we have defined politics to mean things that make it less relevant for running the country and begin to unpack it and identify the specific skills that are required to run the country.

What do you think is Nigeria’s biggest challenge?

I would say two things; that is security and institution. That is reforming security, infrastructure and institutional reforms. If you are able to do those two, things like job creation would be sorted out. A lot of people in politics say especially in politics; we would give you this millions of jobs. You don’t create; you enable the people and the private sector to create jobs. So, if you make it; if you enable it; it would happen naturally. I need to feel safe.

How would you tackle security assuming you become the president?

I would say a few things about security. There are certain things I can’t say here, but let me talk about three things. What we are facing today can be looked at from this angle, which is interventionist perspective. There are certain tactical things that can be done which I can’t say right now.

But there is a second dimension to it and that second dimension relates to things like empowerment, strengthening the security infrastructure. I can tell you that growing up from what I can remember during the ECOMOG days, there were times that one was proud of the Armed Forces; that we felt secured by the Armed Forces.

I think we can get back to those days, I think we can get back to those days, if you engage people in the security sector they would tell you that things like empowerment is key. But that is the second dimension.

But there is the third angle; that is the conversation that we need to have. That is around where you place the security components; federal, state, community level and those conversations that we must not shy away from.

What political party do you belong to?

I belong to a party that I don’t want to disclose at the moment.

But you can’t be a president without belonging to a political party. Do you know that?

That decision will be made very soon; we are considering some factors, and consultations are ongoing. When it comes to the issue of determining a party; there are so many factors you should look at. The youth on one hand are saying that they want a platform of expression and you have certain stakeholders you have to consult with.

Do you count yourself as a youth aspirant?

I would count myself as a presidential aspirant.

That conversation is important because there are some young people who are coming together to say we want to identify those who have the interest of the youth?

I am passionate about the youth. That is what I have done for twenty years. It is my priority, but when you aspire to become the president you are not president for one segment of the nation.

Why do you think Delta can be considered in the rotation arrangement now?

Again, I want you to consider that the hat that I am wearing now is not to prioritise the region that I come from.

I am coming from the angle that things are not okay; we are trying to restore the dignity of human beings. The youth are saying that they want a voice; I am looking at it holistically and not just Delta. Yes, I am from Delta, but from the Igbo extraction.