The presidential candidate for the National Rescue Movement, (NRM), who is also a Nollywood actress, Esther Okereke, has defended her political credentials, insisting that she is more than a celebrity candidate and has firsthand knowledge of the challenges confronting ordinary Nigerians.
She said her years of humanitarian work, particularly her support for widows, orphans and people living with disabilities, have exposed her to the realities of life at the grassroots and strengthened her resolve to seek political power to address the country’s problems.
” I am not just an actress. I am a humanitarian in politics, I would say that. I run foundations that cater to the widows, orphans, and those living with disabilities. I have single-handedly run my foundations without any support from anywhere.
“I’m a grassroots candidate. I know the problems of the grassroots. I know what Nigeria is suffering from, and that’s why I have the ESTHER agenda,” she said.
Okereke said her decision to seek the presidency was driven by growing frustration with the country’s challenges, which she said eventually turned into a sense of purpose and a desire to fix the system from within. She argued that her experience supporting vulnerable Nigerians has shown her that the grassroots is not demanding too much, but simply seeking access to basic amenities and a better standard of living.
“It got to that point where it became frustrating because it was affecting my businesses, as if I was using my business to run charity. Then frustration grew into anger, anger into pity, pity into purpose. And what is the purpose? Why would I just sit here trying to help a group of people when I can actually do better from up there? Because if the system is working from up there, I won’t have to be doing this alone.
“That’s because I also trod the road. I drive the road which the grassroots use. The same road, the same epileptic electricity, the same pitiable education, standard of education. I know all of this because I’ve been there and I’m still in it. Being in it makes me competent. It does! Because when I know what my problem is, I would know how to solve my problem. As a grassroots candidate, I know what the grassroots is lacking. It’s just basic amenities; the grassroots is not even asking for too much,” she noted.
On how she plans on making electricity stable in Nigeria, Okereke said the country already has the professionals needed to fix the power sector, insisting that they only need the right mandate and support to deliver results.
“That’s why we have the advisors. That’s why we have the professionals, that’s their duty. You call the shots when you’re up there. Because I know how we can actually achieve it: by getting the right people that do it to do it. And we have the right people, it’s just to give the go-ahead,” she insisted.
Highlighting her pathway to victory, Okereke said her strongest support would come from the grassroots, centred on her six-pillar ESTHER Agenda, which she described as a “people’s manifesto.”
“My strongest support will come from the grassroots. What Esther has is the ESTHER Agenda—that’s the six-pillar manifesto, the people’s manifesto: E for Economic Development, Energy, Education, and Economic Renaissance; S for Security, Social Development, and Sustainable Development; T for Technology Transformation and Transparency; H for Housing, Health,” she highlighted.
On her first economic priority if elected president, the NRM candidate said her administration would focus on ending the country’s power crisis, arguing that reliable electricity would help expose and tackle other challenges, including insecurity.
She pledged to pursue a target of 25,000 megawatts within her first 100 days, using renewable energy and decentralised power generation while fighting corruption and personal interests in the sector.
“First is to take out the darkness in the system, because when you take out the darkness, you can see. Then you secure the system with security. Fix electricity by taking out the darkness so you can see the security issues and tackle them. In 100 days, we should achieve 25,000 megawatts. It is very possible.
“What is actually stopping us from doing it when we know we can do it? That’s corruption. That’s one thing we should fight against: corruption. Because somebody has their own personal interest in a particular thing, so they make sure it doesn’t work. We can make it work if we want it to work. If as the president, you are the minister for energy and I give you 100 days to give me power, and you have sworn to the people that you would do this before you were put in that office, if you can’t do it, you step down so that somebody else that can do it will do it. What is holding us, stopping us, restraining us, if not personal interest?”, she quizzed.
Addressing Nigeria’s debt and revenue challenges, Okereke said her administration would eliminate redundant parastatals, agencies and ministries, recover public funds and reinvest them into the economy.
“First of all, we will cut off lots of parastatals that are redundant—fake parastatals, fake agencies, fake ministries, lots of these ghost organizations. Cut them off, and then we go for recovery. The money we would recover, our money that we will recover, we can put back, invest it back into the country and into the economy to sort all of these problems, all the debts you’re talking about. We have lots of our money out there, and that is why the R in the ESTHER agenda is for Recovery,” she explained.
Turning to insecurity and how her administration would tackle it, Okereke said her administration would prioritise funding security agencies and strengthening community policing, arguing that locals are better positioned to protect their communities because they understand the terrain. She said properly training and equipping community police could be achieved within six months.
“Fund our security. Community policing is very important. Let those that know the terrain protect their forest, let them protect their community.
“That can be done in less than six months if we want to. We have all it takes. We would bring in the expertise to handle it, to train these people,” she maintained.
Identifying corruption as the biggest obstacle to tackling insecurity and other national challenges, Okereke said the NRM would make fighting corruption a priority while investing heavily in human capital development.
“Corruption within the system, and that is one thing we do not take for granted in NRM. It’s our watchword. Corruption kills everything; corruption ruins everything in a system. So that corruption will be tackled first, because that is the main problem we have.”
She also decried the continued departure of skilled Nigerians, including medical professionals, artisans and farmers, blaming the trend on poor opportunities and lack of investment in people.
“Invest in our people, because our people are leaving. All our medical personnel are gone, all our handymen, our plumbers, electricians are gone. Do you know the ones that are leaving now? Our farmers. That’s because there’s no dignity at home, skills are not being appreciated. We do not even make efforts to invest in our people. That is where human capital development comes in,” she said.
Illustrating her idea of people-centred leadership, Okereke said Nigerians need leaders who understand their struggles firsthand, citing the poor state of roads, electricity and other basic amenities. She described access to such amenities as a basic right, not a luxury, and said her grassroots experience would help her identify where to begin.
“We have people that have the interest and the love of the grassroots, the love for people. Now, this is me coming from this angle of the grassroots, because I feel what they feel, I see what they see. At least I would know where to start from. Basic amenities are not a luxury, these are basic rights of the citizens,” she said.
Defending her choice of the NRM, Okereke said the election should not be determined by the popularity of a political party, but by the candidate’s commitment to rescuing, rebuilding and restoring Nigeria. She likened the party’s bee logo to hardworking Nigerians who, she said, work hard and provide for others.
“It is not about the political party. If it’s about the political party, how popular the political party is, Nigeria would be the best and back to the Giant of Africa it was and still will be.
“Look at the name: NRM—National Rescue Movement. We are here to rescue, rebuild, and restore Nigeria. Practically, we will do that. That is what we’re here to do. Have you seen our logo? The bee. The hard workers. They work the hardest and they feed everyone,” she remarked.
Speaking on the significance of her candidacy as a woman, Okereke said Nigeria’s challenges should not be viewed through a gender lens, but argued that women could bring a different approach to leadership.
She described her campaign as a “sacred assignment” aimed at restoring the value of human life and said Nigerians should be willing to try a different approach after decades of male leadership.
“Nigeria’s problem is not a state problem, it’s a national problem. And it’s not a gender problem, because if it’s a gender problem, I’m sure this gender would have solved it.
“Why I say this is a sacred assignment for me is because as a woman, life is sacred to us. Nine months is no joke, so to us, life is sacred. Now, life is no longer sacred, and that is why the kidnappings, the killings are here and there. We are tired of what’s going on, and we know we have given the men the chance. It’s not a gender thing; I’m not saying because I’m a woman I’m going to win or vote for me because I’m a woman. No. Let’s try something different. We can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect it to work or to have changes. We’ve had 16 men since independence,” she argued.
Responding to concerns about her lack of government experience, Okereke said her experience managing businesses across sectors had prepared her for leadership. She said effective governance ultimately requires the “willpower” to make difficult decisions while putting the interests of more than 240 million Nigerians first.
“Like I said, it’s not just about me being an actress. I’m not just a humanitarian, I’m into hospitality, I’m into real estate and investments, I’m into construction.
“I have run a series of businesses from different sectors, and that is how Nigeria is. We have the power sector, we have the finance sector, we have the housing sector, we have the agricultural sector, which I have invested in, run, and managed.
“It’s all about having the real power to govern, the willpower to make the decision when it is the right time to make the decision. Think of the people first—the 240-something million Nigerians—first think of them before you make that decision. Once you have the willpower to make decisions, the willpower to govern, it doesn’t matter the gender. All you need is the willpower,” she insisted.
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