The former Central Bank Deputy Governor blamed leadership failure for the ongoing strike action embarked upon by university lecturers.
The presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Professor Kingsley Moghalu has described President Muhammadu Buhari's government as tragic and a failure for neglecting the education sector, leading to incessant strike actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He said the failure of the Nigerian government to invest in the education sector was not just a disaster but a fundamental threat to the future of the country.
He disclosed this at a world press conference on Thursday in Abuja, tagged "Nigeria on the Brink," during which he announced his intention to run for President of Nigeria in the 2023 general elections.
The former Central Bank Deputy Governor blamed leadership failure for the ongoing strike action embarked upon by university lecturers.
Moghalu said, "University students are back home again. No nation that fails to invest in its education system can train young people with skills to create a productive economy.
"It is a tragic matter that the government of Nigeria has consistently failed to invest in education. It is a tragic matter that the government gives so little attention to such a fundamental issue as the education of our young people in the universities.
"The neglect of this subject which leads to frequent strike (actions) by university lecturers is a failure of leadership of the highest order. The young people in this country, their future is being put at risk with people having to spend ten years in a university programme where they should spend four years."
He lamented the poor security situation in the country where terrorists and bandits have taken over territories in the North-East. He called on Nigerians not to be deceived, saying the country was living on borrowed time which might collapse any moment.
"We have watched as insecurity increases in the North-East, North-West and South-East.
"You have Boko Haram, bandits and unknown gunmen. The police have failed to protect us, the army has moved into civilian spaces but they have not been able to conquer Boko Haram and terrorists.
"So what we see in Nigeria today is that the governed spaces are shrinking and ungovernable spaces are expanding. If this trend continues, one day in the very near future we will find that the ungoverned spaces are so large and the state would have collapsed completely. Nigeria is at risk of being overrun by terrorists. Let nobody fool himself or herself, we are living on borrowed time in the country," Moghalu said.
He, therefore, called on Nigerians to vote for him as President come 2023, stating that he has the knowledge and capacity to lead the country to economic prosperity and breakthrough.