A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, on Tuesday in Abuja, formally joined the 2023 presidential race after paying N25m to obtain the presidential nomination and expression of interest forms of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Moghalu told newsmen at the ADC national secretariat in Abuja that politics in Nigeria should be detribalized for the nation to grow and take its rightful place in the comity of nations.
According to him, competent leaders are found in all tribes and religions, and that it was high time technocrats, intellectuals and experienced people took power from Nigeria’s career politicians.
He promised to tackle insecurity, inflation and the rotten education sector among other challenges facing the country.
He also insisted that the geo-political zones which were yet to produce the president of the country should be given the opportunity to do so in 2023.
“My first step to providing security for the nation would be to reform the police and increase the number of its operatives by 300 percent. As a president, I will reform the Nigeria Police Force. I will increase the police from 250,000 to one million operatives.
“It is through effective intelligence gathering that we can fight terrorism and win. We will take out whatever threatens the nation’s security, because the political will to secure Nigeria is there,” Moghalu said.
Speaking on the state of the economy, the former nation’s apex bank chief said that he would strengthen the leadership of the CBN to achieve true independence, necessary for tackling the country’s hyperinflation and grow the nation’s economy.
He said, “Inflation is the most act on the poor. It erodes the ability of households to save and devalues the purchasing power of the currency. If there is high inflation, then it is a performance failure. When I become the president, I will ensure we have an independent CBN with competent leadership.”
He also said that he would ensure that at least 20 percent of the nation’s annual budget would be spent on education in order to revamp the sector and permanently end the recurring ASUU strike.
On his part, the ADC national chairman, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu, said that with credible people joining the presidential race, Nigeria was on a march to greatness.
He said that the country would become a global super-power only with competent leadership, which the ADC would offer Nigerians. (Daily Trust)
