By Ismail Idris
There may be a large army of aspirants angling for the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but that hardly makes the task of choosing the man or woman best-suited for the ticket any more onerous for any party that is driven by a time-honoured principle of going for someone of impeccable character. Nigerian voters have become much more politically educated, placing a high premium on the reputation, competence, and mental application of anyone that seeks to lead the country. It would be fatal to the presidential race of the APC and indeed any other political party to think that Nigerians of the Internet Age are still gullible.
In matters of reputation, the impeccability of character, and saleable personality portrait, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) is a collector’s item, coming only next to President Buhari in the party and next to no one in the party’s present array of 25 presidential aspirants.
Who’s that aspirant in the APC today, with a public service background that would not be an easy target of the impending missiles of the PDP and the general public in matters of corruption, besides Dr. Onu?
Onu’s performances in the past seven years preceded his talks. He walked his talk and by every instrument of measurement, his STI Ministry trumped its peers in leadership outcomes.
For a sampler, Nigeria’s global competitiveness ranking in science and tech improved from 124 positions out of 140 countries in 2015 to 115 in 2018.
His National Science, Technology and Innovation Roadmap, 2017-2030; his National Strategy for Competitiveness in Raw material and Product Development, the Presidential Executive Order 5 that he midwifed; his Methanol Fuel Policy and Leather Products Policy saw to the improved ranking by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Onu’s efforts to move the country from a commodity-based economy to a science knowledge-based one resulted in an astronomical increase in inventions with the number of patent rights moving from a dismal 6 in 2015 to about 60 in the country by 2019.
Onu represents stability and not vagaries and inconsistencies of character. He poses no risk of a loose cannon to either the party or anyone.
It’s time for President Buhari and the APC, to seize the moment to glow like a million stars and tread the path, feared by a rival political party and Onu.
Idris, a commentator on national issues writes from Abuja
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