A former Deputy Governor of the CBN, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, on Tuesday, formally joined the 2023 presidential race after doling out the required N25m to obtain the presidential nomination and expression of interest forms of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
Moghalu told correspondents at the ADC national secretariat in Abuja that politics in Nigeria should be detribalised for the nation to grow and take its rightful place in the comity of nations.
He noted that competent leaders are found in all tribes and religions, adding that it was high time technocrats, intellectuals and experienced people took power from Nigeria’s career politicians.
Nevertheless, Moghalu insisted that the geo-political zones which were yet to produce the president of the country should be given the opportunity to do so come 2023.
He promised to tackle the challenges of insecurity, inflation and the wobbly education sector.
Moghalu said his first step to providing security for the nation would be to reform the police and increase the number of its operatives by 300 percent.
He said, “As 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.”
Speaking on the state of the economy, the former CBN chief said that he would strengthen the leadership of the apex bank to achieve true independence, necessary for tackling the country’s hyperinflation.
“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’s 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 said.
Moghalu also said he would ensure that at least 20 percent of the country’s annual budget would be spent on education in order to revamp the sector and permanently end the recurring ASUU strike debacle.
Earlier, the ADC national chairman, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu, said that with credible people joining the presidential race, Nigeria was on a march to greatness; adding that the country would become a global super-power only with competent leadership.
