A 38-year-old media entrepreneur and youth development advocate, Mrs. Khadijah Okunnu-Lamidi, has become the first woman to declare interest in contesting the 2023 Presidential election.
Okunnu-Lamidi formally declared her intention in succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 at a media event held at Freedom Park, Lagos on Monday, January 3, 2022.
The woman, Founder of Slice Media Solutions and daughter of Lateef Femi Okunnu (SAN); a former Federal Commissioner of Works & Housing, decried the worrisome state of unemployment in Nigeria; as well as the poor prospects facing the youth; even as she disclosed that she has become the arrowhead for the intervention of her generation’s interests across the nation for politics and good governance.
Addressing newsmen at the event, Okunnu-Lamidi disclosed that her motivation in vying for the Presidency stems from her desire to make Nigeria work for its diverse populace; while also harnessing the undoubted power of its teeming youths to unleash the country’s latent potential as a force to be reckoned with globally.
While noting that 2023 is a defining moment for the country; Okunnu-Lamidi restated her confidence in playing a leading role in writing a new history and restoring hope for Nigeria.
“I seek to change the direction of our country; because time and chance will happen to all of us and the time for action is today.
“We need a better class, a better crop of leaders that are selfless, disciplined, and bound with integrity, and above all; who love the country and are invested in her future.
“I am here to activate all people, the old, the poor, the rich; to unite around a common ideal on the basis of a consensus about a superior national development agenda,” she said.
Further, the young woman referenced the 70 per cent youths who are often disenfranchised; many of who have not taken their rightful place in choosing the government of Nigeria. She expressed disappointment that Nigeria had missed important milestones in building the nation; while also declaring that previous leadership had failed the country.
Reeling out statistics to back up her claims; Okunnu-Lamidi revealed that youths under the age of 30 have borne the most impact of bad governance; adding that the youth account for 13.9 million of the unemployment figures which stood at 21.7 million in the second quarter of 2020. Further, she disclosed that life expectancy at birth in Nigeria, which stood at 60.87 years in 2021; is one of the lowest in Africa and in the world; while noting that the infant mortality rate hovers at 57.701 deaths per 1000 live births.
In addition, she referenced the spiraling rate of poverty, which has seen an estimated 40.1 percent of the Nigerian population currently living below the poverty line; as well as the rising rate of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Pointing the finger for the worrisome unemployment indices in Nigeria at high population growth rate; deficient school curricula and poor teacher orientation; lack of focus on manufacturing as a result of overdependence on the oil sector; as well as flawed and inconsistent government policies on youth unemployment; Okunnu-Lamidi, nevertheless, reiterated that there is hope for the country, especially with the emergence of a competent president in 2023.
She said: “We are all guilty for surrendering to temporary powerlessness. We can and must start to think differently.
“We sing often about our heroes past. These are people who entered the governance of Nigeria by design or by chance at very young age to take over from the colonial power that ruled Nigeria.
“This again is a generational inflection point for the nation.
“A nation desperate for leadership needs the young, the strong, those who have vision, those who have ideas, those who have a united Nigerian identity and a belief in this country.
“The people of Nigeria believe in Nigeria. They should not be led by leaders who don’t.
“We have to keep fighting for what we believe in, and above all, never lose hope. If you were waiting for a sign, this is it,” said Okunnu-Lamidi, who is currently an independent candidate.
Okunnu-Lamidi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Human Resources Management from the University of Bolton and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Project Management (MSc) from Heriot-Watt University.
