Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, a presidential hopeful and former Minister of State for Education, has described the trio of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Senator Ibikunle Amosun – the all APC ticket hopefuls – as unfit for Nigeria’s current work plan.
Nwajiuba, on the other hand, hailed the three presidential hopefuls as “nice people.” But he emphasized that no one from the South-west should be running for president now, after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s eight years in government and Osinbajo about to serve another eight years as vice president.
The former minister spoke to THISDAY in a presidential series interview over the weekend.
He stated that former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani, and former Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, were patriotic Nigerians with good intentions but maintained they were disadvantaged by their ages, as they were above 60 years.
“You may be a smart person in the 60s, but the knowledge of economy has moved beyond your era. You might have governed Lagos State before, but those people you trained are also doing fantastic.
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“That, then, did not make the knowledge resident in only you. You could have great leaders like Asiwaju Tinubu or men like Ibikunle Amosun, even the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, who by their nature are very nice persons, they might not be suitable for the work plan now.
“There are those, who mean well but being challenged by the age factor, like the former senate president, Ken Nnamani. He is a lovely person, who has the interest of Nigerians at heart, but he may not be as strong as he used to be when he was in government. So, you must excuse him.
“The same thing applies to Ogbonnaya Onu, who also has the challenge of age. They are good men. We also have younger elements, like the governor of Kogi State, who, very agile in his 40s, but he has not garnered a nationalistic experience yet. He must be given room to grow.
“There are many constraints for different aspirants. We need somebody, who has the empathy, the energy, the enthusiasm, and exact understanding of the experiences and knowledge that are required.”
