A U.S.-based woman, Princess
Oyenike Oyedele Roberts, has declared for the presidency of Nigeria on the
platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019
presidential election.
Nike Roberts, as she is called,
while addressing supporters in New York, also dissociated herself from
corruption, vowing never to accept any donation from corrupt Nigerians to fund
her campaign.
She said her aspiration was built
on five-cardinal plans: Uninterrupted power supply, quality healthcare for all,
creation of one million jobs annually, quality affordable education and
security of lives and property.
The PDP presidential aspirant,
whose campaign slogan is ‘Hope 2019’, is the Vice Chair of Nigerian-American
Public Affairs Committee and the President, Association of African Media
Practitioners in the U.S.
She blamed the problems of
Nigeria on what she termed the current faulty structure, saying the Nigerian
president in the next political dispensation must have the will to restructure
the country to realise its potential.
Notwithstanding the allegation of
corruption levelled against PDP when it was in power, she urged Nigerians to
trust her integrity as she had not been tainted by any act of corruption having
not held political positions.
Roberts said PDP was poised for a
major shift ahead of 2019, claiming it was the party to beat and a viable
platform because it had national appeal and spread.
“Our political system is driven
by money and that’s why we have the kind of leadership. The system should be
driven by meritocracy – what you know to do, how to do it and the will to do
it.
“That is what should drive
people; it’s not how much money you have or how much money you can invest in a
person that you can control at the end of the day.
“That’s what gave rise to the
God-fatherism notion that it is who you know that gets you to the top. That
system has continued for so long.
“But I’m seeing a new breed of
leaders coming; a change that’s going to cause a shift in how we do politics in
Nigeria. We don’t allow meritocracy to rule; we allow money to rule,” she said.
She called for more determination
in the fight against corruption so as to secure notable convictions with
commensurate consequences through the executive, legislative and Judicial
commitments.
The Osun-born presidential
aspirant, in her 50s, said at the centre of her heart is the security of lives
and property, saying: “We must secure the borders to prevent illegal
infiltration and activities”.
“As a matter of urgency, the
National Identity system must be concluded in order to account for every
individual in the national database.
“This will put face to crime and
assist law enforcement agencies to deliver efficient services. I will also move
for the professionalism of law enforcement agencies through inter-agency
cooperation and improve their welfare.”
She said apart from creating at
least one million jobs annually, there would be an urgent review of the minimum
wage to living wage to match current trends as well as a relief package for the
extremely poor.
The politician said she would
advocate for an expansion of the health insurance scheme to include all
citizens while there would be incentives to encourage regular health checks.
Roberts promised to allocate
minimum of 15 per cent of the annual budget to education as well as the total
overhaul of the system to allow for early instruction in science, mathematics,
engineering and technology.
She said: “There must be
continuous training and certification for teachers and instructors at all
levels. The public school infrastructure must be upgraded as a matter of
urgency”.
The politician pledged to
overhaul the power infrastructure and tackle the ineffective model of
operations to increase power generation to at least 20,000 megawatts using
renewable sources to support the fossil sources.
Roberts said she had support base
in all the 774 Local Government Areas and expressed confidence in the ability
of the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct credible poll in
2019.
Nike Roberts attended Reagan
Memorial Baptist Girls’ Secondary School, Lagos(1975-81) before leaving for the
United Kingdom to study hotel management in Oxford.
According to her website,
www.nikeroberts.org, Nike returned to Nigeria to work in the hospitality
industry by developing her own brand of lunch delivery services to corporate
clients, and event catering.
She later left for the US where
she attended Gwinnett Technical College in Georgia.
She then started the first
multi-cultural television station in Atlanta area, which showcases the
experience of Africans in Diaspora. She also produced and hosted her own talk
show.
Nike has degrees in Office
Administration & Technology, Information Security, and Technical communications.
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