Incompetent Leadership Hampering Nigeria's Progress, Says Ezekwesili

Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Dr. Obiagheli Ezekwesili, has said Nigeria is not making progress because of incompetent leadership.

In an interview with journalists on Thursday in Kaduna shortly after addressing women, youths, school children and people living with disabilities when she flagged off her presidential campaign in the state, the former education minister said she has the capacity to rescue Nigeria from the current socio-economic and security challenges.

Ezekwesili said she has what it takes to solve Nigeria's complex challenges, especially the socio-economic and security, currently bedeviling the country.

According to her, Nigeria is backward. She therefore stressed that it was high time for people of good conscience to rescue the country.

She said Nigerians must resolve to vote for competent people if they want the country to make progress.

"When you are tired of mediocrity, the only person who you can think of is Oby Ezekwesili who is offering herself to lead.

"We have lacked quality leadership in Nigeria. It doesn't matter that all those who have governed us are men. It doesn't make any different in quality of life of the Nigerian person.

"I am that candidate with competence and capacity to solve the complex problems that seem to have eluded us for so long.

"We cannot afford to have other Nigerians joining 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 incompetency they have throne us into,” she said.

Commenting on the security situation in the country, Ezekwesili 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 said.

The former minister added that if elected, her administration would promote a private sector-driven economy as practiced in other climes.

According to her, "We will run an economy that is well deregulated led by the private sector. We will make sure that competitiveness and productivity are the hallmark of our private sector."

Earlier, while addressing women and female students at the Arewa House, Kaduna, Ezekwesili stressed the need for girl-child education, saying education is the greatest weapon for liberation and economic empowerment.

The ACPN presidential candidate also visited the Kaduna central market, where she addressed traders and solicited for their support in the February 16 presidential election.