Why I contested 2019 presidential election —Moghalu

A former presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, on Wednesday explained why he contested the 2019 presidential election.

Moghalu, who spoke at the 6th Goddy Jedenma public lecture in Lagos, said his genuine love for Nigerians prompted him to throw his hat into the ring for the nation’s highest political office in February.

He said: “We have brilliant people in this country in any sphere of endeavour whether in business, academia, finance, engineering and others. We are where we are.

“The question is why? Therefore I say we can succeed in our small boxes and our different spheres. But our success is not because we have a good government because we don’t. We succeed despite the weak government that we have in this country.

“This was why I left my own comfort zone. I was not a politician, I never planned to be one. I was a professor at the School of Law, Flechette University, United States.

“One day, I was teaching and I was looking at these young men and women I said to myself in 10-15 years the director of the CIA was probably here, Secretary of State was here and some big industrialists were here. Why I’m I developing somebody else country. I said I will return to my own country and I will contest for the office of the land.

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“We know the difficulties. The difficulties begin with the people themselves. If great people like Prof. PLO Lumumba come out to contest they will not vote for you.

“They would vote not for their solution, but for their problem. The root of the issue in this country is with the psych of the people. It has been chattered, battered and the people have been made to feel sub-human and accept those who are their overlords and worship them.

“So you come with a good summation, they will tell you are very brilliant but you are blowing grammar.

“So my point is in this country, we will not address our developmental challenges except we address our leadership problem.

“It’s not good enough that you can perfect your society in different ways. The Dangotes have not changed the Nigerian economy. Dangote economy is doing well and so many other people.

“But the economy of Nigeria, GDP per capital, the poverty range will never change except we have a leadership with an economic mindset, capacity and a mindset of transformation.

“It is our business as Nigerians to re-orientate ourselves to understand that this is our priority and that we must make it happen.”

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