Human rights activist and publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore has declared to run for the president of Nigeria in 2023 on the platform of African Action Congress (AAC).
At the well attended event that took place in Abuja, Sowore promised to reintegrate the country and ensure justice for every ethnic group irrespective of their size. He lamented the monumental injustices carried out by the Nigerian government against the southeast region (Igbos).
He said there is a need to heal the physical and emotional wounds inflicted on the people of the region.
He said, “We have reached out to our own brothers in the south-east who said they are tired of Nigeria. We have told them that if Nigeria does nothing for you, then you have a right to say you don’t want Nigeria.
“But we are going to make sure that Nigeria works for everybody.
“We need justice and that is what they ask for and we are going to give them justice.
“As soon as I become President of Nigeria, we are going to reintegrate the country but first and foremost we have to apologise to Igbos for monumental injustices Nigeria carried out against them.
“We have reached out to our Yoruba brothers who said they want to leave and we have told them we should not leave this country for the people who destroyed it. It is these people that will leave the country for us.
“We have reached out to ‘Shiites’ and told them they deserve to practise their religion in Nigeria.”
The activist also promised to provide free and qualitative education for Nigerian students with adequate bursaries and loans.
He assured the army of unemployed youths that job opportunities would be provided for them, adding that he would turn Nigeria into a huge construction site where there would be the provision of houses and an interstate highway system.
He vowed to make loans accessible to market women at very low-interest rates.
He said, “To Nigerian students, help is coming your way. We are going to give you free and qualitative education with bursaries and loans.
“For traders and those in informal sectors, we promise a country that will let you have access and opportunity to jobs without being a slave to the wife of the Governor.
“To our retirees, we have to apologise to those who retired after working so hard for the country. We are going to reform the pension system in such a way that before retirement, your first gratuity will be transferred to you and you don’t have to leave your house. The subsequent ones will be paid before the end of the 25th of the month because you worked for it.”
