The
Owerri-born US-based technology entrepreneur announced his decision to run for
Nigeria's highest office last week, noting that he hopes to become the
country's youngest civilian president.
He said,
"Nigeria needs a visionary leader now more than ever. This is our time and
I am the right choice to lead our nation."
When
contacted by Pulse Nigeria about his political association, he said he's still
looking out for one that fits his ideology.
"I
haven't chosen a party yet, but will in the coming weeks. We are currently
vetting the parties to ensure that our ideologies and mission for the Nigerian
people are aligned," he told Pulse.
Ukaegbu
believes Nigeria suffers from its lack of focus in pivotal areas such as
technology, education and entrepreneurship, a situation he said has to change
with the election of competent leaders.
He said,
"For every powerful nation since industrialisation, the pillars of
sustenance, competitiveness and wealth have been technology, education and
entrepreneurship.
"Education,
because it prepares the people to identify, understand, tackle and address
their problems. Technology, because it drives innovation and revolutionary
advancements that solve these problems. Entrepreneurship, because it creates
communal wealth from identified solutions to problems. These three pillars are
interdependent and serve as the foundation on which all other elements of
greatness are built upon.
"In all
three, Nigeria lags behind, as it stands at an unfamiliar crossroad of two
dissimilar paths. If the country is to be salvaged, then we all need to arise
and elect Nigerians who have the vision, strategy and compassion needed to
serve and lead the people."
Over the
years, Ukaegbu has presented speeches that covered strategies on engaging
untapped communities through technology, education and entrepreneurship,
building out tech ecosystems and investments in Nigeria and Africa, innovation,
entrepreneurship, afrofuturism, diversity and inclusion, and more.
He's made
these speeches at several prestigious institutions and conferences including
The US-Nigeria Investment Summit, Africa Trade Investment Global Summit, The
White House, TEDx, Tech and Venture Capital conferences, Harvard, NYU,
Columbia, CCNY, University of Rochester, the Africa Investment Summit in
Marrakech, Morocco among others.
Ukaegbu
joins a list of young, politically-inexperienced Nigerians that have declared
to run for the presidency and mount pressure on 75-year-old Buhari.
Fela
Durotoye, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, Ahmed Buhari, Omoyele Sowore, Yul Edochie are
some of the other candidates that'll be going up against the president next
year.
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