For a nation that is facing myriad of challenges ravaging every nook and cranny of her existence, among which is the insecurity in the north, where Boko Haram terrorist reign supreme in the north-east corridor and most recently bandits, that operates with carnage that has almost rendered social activities in the north-west to zero, to delicate issues of ethnicity, where a nation mostly exists along ethnic divides, plus a fragile and mainly import- driven economy.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), about 350,000 lives has been lost to terrorism related conflicts, while Nigeria debt profile is about N38 trillion. Meanwhile, the journey for 2023 presidential election has commenced, and many politicians have declared their interests to run for the coveted position of the president in the most populous black nation on earth, Nigeria.
While some are pretenders, there are actual contenders among those that have indicated their interests. As for the pretenders, time will surely tells how far they can go. Among the contenders are the names of political heavyweights like two-term former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim. Another name that is also strongly linked to the post is Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar despite the fact that he is yet to declare his intention officially, while the incumbent Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has also been touted by many.
Regardless of their interests and right to be voted for as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are the contenders really up to the task expected of them to redeem the downhill trajectory of the country?
Can they really match up?
Nigerians need to know how those aspirants intends to fight these challenges to improve and better the lot of the citizenry. Whoever that emerges as president among them has insecurity, unemployment, inflation and a rising debt profile to contend with, which experts have warned that if it is not properly managed portend a grave danger for the country.
Nigeria is in dire need of an astute president who understands the momentum and can manage a country as diverse as Nigeria; a person who is devoid of nepotism and ethnic bigotry that can serve as unifier of various sections of the country. This means that the person is one who can surround him/herself with de-tribalised individuals to set the nation right back on.
