The presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement, Esther Okereke, has pledged to raise Nigeria’s electricity generation to 25,000MW within her first 100 days in office if elected president in 2027.

Okereke, a Nollywood actress and humanitarian, said tackling the power crisis would be her first priority, arguing that reliable electricity would help expose and address other challenges, including insecurity.

Speaking on Arise TV on Wednesday night, she said Nigeria already had the professionals needed to fix the power sector, but that they needed the right mandate and support to deliver results.

“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.

Okereke said her administration would pursue renewable energy and decentralised power generation while tackling corruption and personal interests in the sector.

“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.

‘I am not just an actress’

Defending her qualifications for the presidency, Okereke said she should not be regarded merely as a celebrity candidate, citing her humanitarian work and experience managing businesses across different sectors.

She said her years of supporting widows, orphans and people living with disabilities had given her firsthand knowledge of the challenges facing Nigerians at the grassroots.

”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 frustration over the challenges facing vulnerable Nigerians eventually pushed her towards seeking political power, arguing that she could achieve more by addressing the problems through government.

“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.

She said her strongest support would come from the grassroots through 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.

‘Let’s try something different’

Okereke also defended the significance of her candidacy as a woman, saying Nigeria’s problems were national rather than gender-specific, while arguing that the country could benefit from a different approach to leadership.

She described her campaign as a “sacred assignment” focused on restoring the value of human life and said Nigerians should be willing to consider an alternative 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.

On her lack of government experience, Okereke said her experience in hospitality, real estate, investments, construction and agriculture had prepared her for leadership.

“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.

Okereke also said her administration would target redundant government agencies and parastatals, recover public funds and reinvest the proceeds in the economy.

On insecurity, she said her administration would fund security agencies and strengthen community policing, arguing that local people understood their terrain better and could be trained to protect their communities.

“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.

Okereke identified corruption as a major obstacle to addressing Nigeria’s challenges and said her administration would prioritise the fight against it alongside human capital development.