A Nigerian presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has pledged to spend 70% of his time in developing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), if elected president of Nigeria.
Peter Obi disclosed this during a roundtable discussion organized by the Harvard Business School on Wednesday.
The event was moderated by Hakeem Belo-Osagie, a professor at Harvard Business School. Belo-Osagie stated that the invitation for the roundtable was extended to all presidential candidates in Nigeria, and he thanked Peter Obi for being the first to respond positively.
During the roundtable, Peter Obi supported voting by Nigerians in diaspora. Instead of brain drain, I consider the diaspora as brain gain, stated Mr. Obi.
“Every Nigerian should have the right to vote. My job is to take power and give it back to the youth. Youth and women will have a huge space because they have the energy and talent to drive the process,” he told the audience, adding that “women in position of power deliver.”
Speaking on foreign policy, Mr. Obi stated that Nigerian foreign policy will remain Afrocentric. He then advocated on reducing the cost of governance and encouraging investment in agriculture.
Nigeria is not short of good ideas, but the country has institutional weakness and lack of political will to deliver on existing plans according to Mr. Obi. He suggested that the 2023 election should be about trust, character, and ability to deliver.
The 2023 presidential election will take place early next year, where Peter Obi will face Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar of the opposition People’s Democratic Party and Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of New Nigeria People’s Party.