PROFESSOR Kingsley Moghalu, the presidential candidate of the Young Progressive Party, YPP, is projecting his aspiration to become president on what he has canvassed as a leadership change. That change he is saying is the only panacea to stop Nigeria from imploding.
The political economist, lawyer, former United Nations, UN official, and professor in International Business and Public Policy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, at an interactive dinner with journalists in Lagos, recently, said the Nigerian society is broken and he has the capacity to fix it.
Moghalu said during his stint at the UN he learned how to fix a broken nation while serving in the UN War Crimes Tribunal on Rwanda among other committees, noting that with the rule of law, peace and accountability, you will fix a broken society.
Claiming that he is the best man to rescue and fix Nigeria, he recalled how he helped to raise $20 billion investment fund for many countries including Nigeria, how he returned to Nigeria to become Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, deputy governor because of his expertise in financial management, and assisted in ensuring that Nigeria did not lose any money when the rest of the world lost $14 trillion during the 2009 global meltdown.
He disclosed that he shepherded the POS and BVN innovation in Nigeria among others, adding that Nigeria has a lot of potentials but suffering from absence of leadership, which he said must be addressed in 2019.
The technocrat-turned politician described himself as ‘’the most unlikely presidential candidate in Nigerian history,’’ insisting that Nigeria has got to a point she needs ‘’trajectory rescue.’’ Reason: ‘’Population is rising, poverty is increasing, our lives are in a very bad state but we have people who are so eager to enjoy life despite the disaster unleashed on us by the political elite. The average Nigerian is not doing well. The future is bleak. If the trajectory is not broken there is going to be an implosion. I am running because I care about the quality of life of the average Nigerian.’’
Buhari will be voted out
Professor Moghalu said he was sure that President Muhammadu Buhari will not be re-elected and in 2019 will become the second incumbent president to be voted out as in 2015 when President Goodluck Jonathan was not re-elected.
According to him, ‘’2015 was a choice between two people of the same class. In 2019, it is more than a choice between two people, it is disenchantment with the political class. In 2015, the people moved from the frying pan to the fire.’’
His chances
Boasting that he has a good chance of winning the presidential race, Moghalu said he has many groups including the Kingsley Moghalu Support Organisation, KIMSO in every state, local government and ward of the country and the group kicked off in Katsina State, where President Buhari hails from.
‘’I didn’t drink, sleep and wake up to say I want to run for the presidency. I am running to win and we are doing something differently like the movement that worked in the United States of America, and France.’’
Why Nigeria needs restructuring
‘’Nigeria should become a nation. Now, it is a country of different tribes. We should have a nation of common political identity. We have a leadership that lacks a world-view. If elected, I will develop a world-view charter of not more than two pages showing how and where we started, the visions of our founding fathers and national ambition. Restructuring is a core part of my vision. Nigeria has to be restructured to make progress.
‘’Restructuring is a must. Why is Nigeria unable to become an industrial success? We need constitutional restructuring to restore true federalism. We are a unitary Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are standing true federalism on its head.’’
How to restructure Nigeria
‘’The six geo-political zones should be the federating units. Many of the states cannot survive on their own but every zone is viable because each zone has economies of scale. I believe in resource control. Each zone should control its resources and pay tax to the centre.
‘’It is unfortunate that a class of small elite is opposed to restructuring. But if elected, I will show them that each of the six zones is viable. I don’t want a weak centre or a centre that is too weak but we can make the North the Dubai of Nigeria; South-West, the Germany of Nigeria; South-South, the Texas of Nigeria; and the South-East, the Taiwan of Nigeria. I will oppose the export of raw materials in their natural state. The resources must add value to Nigeria before being exported.’’
Going further, Moghalu said he would abolish the Land-Use Act and ensure an innovation-driven economy, innovation with intellectual property, and institute one trillion naira venture capital fund to boost innovation and assist small and medium scale enterprises.
Opposes zoning
The presidential candidate opposed zoning of the presidency and political offices because it breeds mediocrity, saying he is not angling for the presidency because he comes from the South-East.
His words: ‘’Any notion of zoning is retrogressive. It is not constitutional. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, zoning arrangement is subterfuge for mediocrity. I am not a South-East candidate for the presidency. I am a Nigerian candidate for the presidency. Educated people should not fall for the zoning 419 or fallacy.’’