A retired United States Army Colonel, Wisdom Osemwende, has stated that Nigeria can quickly end Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism, using warhead drones.
Osemwende, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in his late 50s, with dual citizenship of Nigeria and US, who retired after 30 years in US Army, and hails from Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, insisted that Nigeria has a bright future.
The retired colonel, who is a Doctoral degree holder, stated these at the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Government Reservation Area (GRA), Benin, while declaring his presidential ambition, ahead of 2023 general elections.
He said: “For some years now, Nigeria has been suffocating on the unbearable weight of insecurity and terror, perpetrated by the dreaded Boko Haram. This crisis has caused a lot of pain and suffering to the victimised communities and has been one of the country’s biggest challenges.
“This should never have been happening to Africa’s giant. We can redress these security challenges. For 30 years, I amassed a wealth of experience in administration and leadership within the US military, the world’s most enviable and strongest military.
“If I say today that I have a solution to Boko Haram, many will think it is just one of those election campaign promises, but others who understand the might of the US military would give me the credence.
“With my experience, I know what a military should look like. The Nigerian army and other security agencies are getting set for a modern era, and I have the password to this.”
The presidential aspirant, who also stated that his dual citizenship would be an added advantage to Nigeria, noted that the American government would always come to his aid, if he ever needed their assistance.
He said: “Having served the United States all these years and being greatly honoured to that effect, it is time my country, Nigeria, should benefit from my relationship with the world’s biggest economy.
“America will gladly contribute economically, socially and otherwise to this new phase of Nigerian development that we are about to engage.
“My thirty years plus years of staying abroad, and especially in the US, gave me an understanding of the health insurance system that can sustain the health of a nation. There is nothing as important as a healthy nation. With my experience, I am ready to introduce Nigeria into a new public health dimension that is sustainable.”
Osemwende also stated that his administration would revamp the agricultural sector of the country for job creation and promote foreign exchange.
“My decision to run is strictly coined in my love for Nigeria and utmost wish to see this country transform into one of the strongest economies in the world, and a place everyone would desire as a destination. Nigeria, as a nation, has come of age. We have covered a great distance politically, economically and in diplomacy, among others.
“If Nigeria is called the giant of Africa, it is not a mistake. We are a great nation, and we are certainly proud of that. However, Nigeria would have travelled a longer distance than we have today. It is time to unify Nigeria and Nigerians. My administration will not tolerate nepotism and favouritism. Every appointment in my administration will be based on merit.
“My administration will encourage patriotism, which will be taught from elementary school to the university level. So that Nigerians can have Nigeria at heart. The Nigerian working class is alive, but not very healthy. Scores of graduates from tertiary institutions each year roam the streets with no job. My administration will revamp the economy. Poverty has been a prolonged social vice in Nigeria.”
Osemwende declared that not only should the cost of treatment be brought down, but Nigeria, from 2023, needed to turn a new page, where health insurance for all would be the order of the day.