2023: I’ll lay proper foundation for Nigeria’s unity ― Ohuanbunwa

President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Maxi Sam Ohuanbunwa, has formally apprised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of his intention to vie for its ticket in the 2023 presidential election, saying that if given the chance, he will lay a solid foundation for national unity.

Addressing a press conference after meeting with the PDP National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu in his office at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja Thursday, he also warned against viewing the security challenges in different parts of the country as sectional problems.

According to him, making a distinction between Nnamdi Kanu, Sunday Igboho or the insecurity in other parts of the country will not solve the problem until it is considered a national malaise and approach in a wholesome manner.

Asked how he will tackle the security problems in the southeast where he hails from, he stated: “The issues in the southeast are national issues. There’s nothing unique about the southeast, what is happening in the northwest, what is happening in the south, northeast, what is happening in the middle belt, they are all symptomatic of the same problem foundational issues with Nigeria. And all we need to do is to look at them as national problems. When you look at them as an ethnic animal problem, we miss it. They are national problems.

“We need to sit there and say, this was not the way our country was run by the founding fathers of this country. They organized this country in a manner that allowed for mutually satisfying relationships. A relationship that is normal, actually satisfying, including marriage is starting to break down. So, don’t pretend about it.

“So, I am coming to lay the foundation for proper unity of our nation to create a level playing ground where every child born in every part of this country will have the same opportunity like the other child to achieve his potential the way it happens the United States of America.”

The presidential aspirant also observed that age should not be an issue in who governs Nigeria but a healthy body, spirit and soul, the ability to lead right and galvanize the people.

He said as somebody who has been in the private sector, he will take governance as a business to deliver appropriately to the people.

Ohuanbunwa stated: “There are many young people chronologically, but yet they behave and act like old people because of their vision, because of their worldview.

“A young worldview is an exploratory worldview, a worldview that is able to entertain and accept a larger picture of the globe, be able to learn from each other, a mindset that is willing to try new things, to get into new opportunities.

“Secondly, to be able to discharge the function of office as a president or governor, you need to have a healthy body. You need to have a healthy soul. You need to have a healthy spirit; body, mind and soul must be together to be able to function in this office.

“This office of president is a serious office. You must have experience in managing many things at the same time. It’s not to take six months to form your cabinet, take six months to plan how you’re going to work. I have the experience I’ve been trained.

“I may belong to the older group but my spirit, my heart is of a young person, and I understand how to motivate people to achieve, because the job of a president is the job of a CEO, and the work of the CEO is, first and foremost, to set the vision, where are you going and sell the vision and then appoint lieutenants – in the companies, will call them directors or general managers – set the vision, this where we’re going in the next two, three years, then set the (key performance indicators) KPIs every quarter, this is where we ought to be and then scale their resources, give them the training, mobilize them.

“As you become a leader, every period of what I get together and say, guys, where are we going, where we’re going, why are we not where we are? If we’re not where we are, tell us the result. Do we need more training, do we need more resources? And if we find that you are the guy that is not generating the results after the first or second quarter, we send you out to training or ask you to be given another job and bring somebody because, in the private sector that I come from, we do not and we cannot allow you to fail and to drive the business down.

“We will give you sufficient time to ensure you have competence. If you don’t have the competence, you could do better elsewhere, we’ll move you there and bring someone because we measure ourselves by results, not by what we say, not by intention, not by wishes, either you’re meeting the top line, and the bottom line, and the market share or you’re missing everything in government.

“We need to think about our government. So, we need to think of government as a business whereby we have a contract with the citizens.

“If we say we’re going to give electricity, we’re going to build schools, we’re going to give education we’re going to do this, how do we measure KPIs, how do we measure success? Somebody is not achieving, he is still left in office, one quarter, two, quarter, three, quarter, four years, five years, six years, a man is still in office with no achievement, he is telling us stories. We don’t tolerate that. That is why good companies succeed because they do not tolerate stories.

“For me, that’s the experience you need to run a country, not necessarily chronological age. So, understand what young people are. I am young, in my heart, in my spirit, in my physique and my ability to do the job.”

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