Newly minted presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, (PRP), and former governed of Cross River State, Donald Duke, has said the worsening state of Nigeria compelled him to return to frontline politics, warning that the country faces a deepening crisis unless its current trajectory is reversed within the next four years. He argued that Nigeria’s economic challenges, poor governance and leadership failures require urgent intervention to avert further decline.
“The direction the country is going requires very urgent intervention. In another four years, if we don’t change the trajectory, disaster—which is already looming—will deepen further,” he warned.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Duke said he could no longer remain a spectator as Nigeria grapples with mounting economic hardship, insecurity and governance challenges. He maintained that the urgency of the country’s situation informed his decision to seek the presidency.
“It’s the urgency—the clear and apparent urgency of where we are today. You could be a spectator and make all sorts of analysis, or you can get involved,” he disclosed.
On the state of the nation, the presidential candidate said Nigeria’s challenges stem from a combination of a weak economy, poor governance and leadership failures, arguing that years of politics without effective governance have worsened insecurity and slowed economic growth.
“A combination of all. The economy is broken; it’s not growing. Call it Boko Haram, call it ISWAP, call it banditry or kidnapping—those are the fallout. Those are the symptoms of inadequacy. We have not grown the economy; that’s one. Governance is poor. In the last 20-plus years, there has been very little governance going on—a lot of politics and no governance. The recent scandal where someone sets up an office in the Federal Secretariat that is not an institution of government shows there is poor governance in the system. Nothing speaks louder than that. So you have poor governance as a derivative of leadership, and you have an economy that is just not growing. How can you grow an economy with interest rates in the upper 30s?”, he quizzed.
Calling for greater unity among opposition parties, Duke said Nigeria’s fragmented opposition must come together to present a credible alternative and help steer the country in a better direction.
“I’m a member of the ruling party, as it were, so automatically I’m in the opposition. Ideally, the opposition should come together. The reason why you have a stable democracy in the Western world is you have primarily two major parties. It’s either/or. We have a splintered opposition with a common goal, but it doesn’t work that way. I want to be the voice of reason, because eventually, I think we all have to come together to decide where this country will go. The egos at play… we need someone who can speak to these egos, because we are in a bad place.”
Reflecting on his record as governor of Cross River State, Duke said leadership is ultimately judged by whether it leaves a place better than it was found, adding that governing Nigeria would require assembling a competent team focused on performance rather than political loyalty.
“Two things. First, your record speaks of your intention—the intention to leave a place better than you met it. That’s my record. The second thing is, when you are governing a country like Nigeria—multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-everything—it’s a command role. You must look for the best hands. The politics is over; now go to governance.
“Each appointee of government must have one credo: make sure you leave this place better than you met it. Make sure that you don’t shortchange the country in the process of governance. We bring politics into governance; no, they are two different things. Politics is a necessary step, because by going through politics, you get to better understand the country. If I aspire to leadership, as I am, I’m going to have to put together a great team—a team that can take us to where we ought to be, not mediocre performers simply because they were chanting ‘Donald Duke for President.'”
Addressing concerns about his tourism-focused record as former governor, Duke argued that tourism is an economic driver capable of creating jobs and boosting productivity, citing the growth in visitor numbers and commercial activity generated during his administration in Cross River State.
“It’s all about productivity. We took a plank in Cross River State that was low-hanging fruit. Everyone wants to industrialize, but that takes time. We did a lot of that, too—a number of mega-factories were developed in that time—but that’s not going to engage the masses of the people.
“In the month of December alone in Calabar, a million visitors were coming in. Calabar had the potential to attract 3 million people annually into Calabar. If 3 million people were spending just 100,000 Naira each, that amounts to 300 billion. If you put the multiplier effect into it, it probably goes up to 3 trillion. The primary purpose of government is to ensure the optimal productivity of citizens. You take what they can do easily and invest in that while you look for other things they could do later. For instance, at the time, Cross River was the only state that had internal flights. The distance from Calabar to Obudu, where the ranch is, is easily five to six hours. So, we built an airstrip, and we had flights commuting between Calabar and Obudu.
“That created traffic. Dubai survives on traffic. If you stop the traffic going into Dubai, that’s it. Las Vegas was built around traffic; London is built on traffic. Major cities are built on traffic. We created that traffic. Calabar Airport was the fourth busiest airport in Nigeria after Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt. We had nine flights daily in and out of Calabar. Those numbers—people coming in and going, flights full—speak volumes,” he argued.
Continuing, Duke said his administration initially focused on attracting domestic tourists rather than foreign visitors, arguing that local patronage is essential to building a sustainable tourism industry. He added that investments in the Obudu Ranch created jobs, empowered local communities and demonstrated how effective leadership can unlock the economic potential of every state.
“We weren’t looking to bring in foreign investors initially; the focus was on local investors. Local visitors want to go somewhere for Christmas—a change of environment, a change of scenery. Easily 90% of the tourists we attracted were Nigerians.
“Before we came in, the ranch was abandoned. Beautiful, naturally blessed, but abandoned, and the people were dirt poor. By the time we left, the average resident or indigene of the ranch had perhaps three jobs. We ensured that each family was given 50 beehives for bee farming, because we gave a jar of honey as a complimentary gift to each guest. We encouraged them to do poultry, goat herding, or piggery. We ensured that all that the ranch required was first given to the locals to supply, apart from working in the hotel, providing services, and serving as tour guides. Everyone had a job,” he insisted.
On his immediate priorities if elected president, the PRP presidential candidate said his administration would focus on setting a clear agenda for government, reforming the financial system to boost productivity and strengthening the judiciary, arguing that these reforms are critical to Nigeria’s economic recovery and long-term development.
“I don’t buy into this 100-day thing. The first 100 days will be to set the agenda and get the folks who work in the system to understand the agenda, letting them know that there will be consequences for not meeting their targets. Broadly put, it won’t be business as usual. If you are not able to meet the target, you go.
“We would work on designing a financial system that enables productivity, which doesn’t exist currently. Importantly, we need to work on the judiciary. This country will not move forward until we sort out the judicial process,” he outlined.
Speaking on Nigeria’s rising debt burden, Duke called for stricter fiscal discipline, better revenue generation and a review of government spending priorities. He argued that reducing the cost of governance, making energy more affordable, restructuring key institutions and strengthening the judiciary are essential to restoring economic confidence and attracting investment.
“The World Bank is now cautioning us. They probably won’t give us anything more, so we are going through different routes to get funding from other sources. Because our revenue collection system is poor, we do the basic thing: we tax you on profit.
“We need to also prioritize. Certain expenditures that we make just don’t make sense. Take the Lagos-Calabar Highway. I know the country cannot afford it. You cannot build a road on the coast from Lagos to Calabar without even going through Bayelsa—even Yenagoa, the capital, is a swamp. There is some expenditure we make that does not reflect the realities of our circumstance.
“You have got to prioritize and focus on what is required. The money being spent on that would be better spent providing electricity or upgrading the healthcare system. So, prioritize, focus your priorities, recalibrate your revenue system, and look at the horrendous cost of gas.
“The governance structure must change. Look at the high cost of governance—why do you need a bicameral legislature? You don’t need it. You can do with only a Senate; you don’t need a House of Representatives. Restructuring; it’s imperative. We need to restructure to come to terms with our circumstance,” he stressed.
Favour Odima
Follow us on:
