How I Will Make Nigeria
Mazi Samuel Iheanyichukwu Ohuabunwa, OFR, is a pharmacist and executive of several businesses. In this exclusive interview with OpenLife Magazine’s Staff Writer, Isaac Ngumah, the 71 years old Columbia University graduate who recently announced his 2023 presidential interest on the platform of the newly formed New Nigeria Group, NNG, unveils his cardinal objectives
There are agitations that in 2023 the southeast should produce the next president of Nigeria, what can you say to this?
Well, I support that demand on the basis of equity and fairness.
In the history of our politics, we have rotated powers from one region to another. At the moment, the southeast, among major tribes, is the only zone that has not had the opportunity to produce a Nigerian president.
So, I think the whole country should give the east an opportunity to produce a good president for Nigeria. Once that is achieved, they will not only help to make our country workable, productive and prosperous, it will help to remove all forms of feelings of marginalisation, all feelings of discrimination that people from the southeast have carried since the war ended.
I think that one single act will remove those feelings and unite the country. I think it is justified.
However, I observe some people oppose rotation and I think those who oppose rotation are being clever by half.
For instance, rotation is provided for in the constitution. The constitution talks about the federal character principle. The federal character principle applies to different segments of government, governance and public service.
What are those things that inspired your presidential aspiration?
I believe giving the situation of our country and the fact that we have failed to realise our growth objectives, the fact we have failed to realise the dream of our founding fathers and many of us who have played all kinds of supportive roles have found that we haven’t been able to make the progress instead we are retrogressing, I am motivated to offer myself to serve the country in the office of the federal republic of Nigeria.
My ambition is to start a new Nigeria because the old Nigeria doesn’t seem to be working for everybody. It is working for a few people but for many others, it is not working.
So, we are starting a new Nigeria that will be a first-world nation, that will move away from this chronic position as a third world or developing world to an effective and developed world. That is our primary mission. Our secondary vision is to build a country that works for every Nigerian where everybody would feel ownership and feel welcome and feel comfortable.
That means we will eliminate poverty, eliminate injustice and heal the nation.
That is where we are going.
We will turn our country around and heal the nation.
When I look at the uprising, I am not able to see much proper motivation of our country to create enabling environment for investments to grow. Every Nigerian will have a means of livelihood.
We will create an investment climate that attracts investment and then we ramp up our products to ensure that most Nigerians are busy working either for themselves or working for organisations and those organisations are also growing.
That is part of our plans.
Nigerians must be satisfied that their lives and property are being protected by the government.
That forms parts of the reasons for coming and also we believe that we need to reorientate our country to change the value system.
Currently, our country has earned so much in the global environment yet, we are seen as a country that is not serious, a country of dubious and fraudulent people, a country of 419, yahoo- yahoo, a country of endemic corruption and a country that is a joker. We want to transfer Nigeria to move away from those negatives definitions to a country of knowledge-seeking country, a country of justice, a country where we will produce what we eat and we will export a lot of food into the international forum.
Our government will be caring for each citizen and citizens, will in return, demonstrate zeal to protect the nation.
We will create a country where no one will be maltreated and justice is available to all.
We will create a country where there is freedom, not only freedom of the press but freedom of expression, freedom to travel , to live wherever you want to live and be happy.
We will recreate the country in a manner that the people will truly fear God and show love to each other and obey the rules of the nation without question.
These are some of the things we are thinking and these are the motivations.
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