A United States-based
woman, Princess Oyenike Oyedele Roberts, has declared her intention to run for
presidency on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in
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 is 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.
(NAN)
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