GREELEY — While the election season in the U.S. is steaming ahead, another campaign is being launched in Colorado by a man who wants to save his native land from graft and greed. Sam Wantings (Nwanti), a 46-year-old Greeley resident, is running for president of Nigeria, a country he visits frequently even though he's lived in the United States for more than half his life.
Sam Wantings, 46, will return to Nigeria and begin his presidential campaign there next month.
Wantings said he wants to use his background as a detective and business entrepreneur to rid Nigeria of corruption and bring honest business opportunities to his people.
"Nigeria needs to change," said Wantings. "And I'm the only one who can effect that."
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and its economy is the one of the fastest-growing in the world. It is also oil rich, but that has not led to overall prosperity, Wantings said.
He says his 2011 run for the presidency begins in August, when he will return to Nigeria and begin his on-the-ground campaigning. He plans to do that for most of this year and into next year.
"Criminals and corrupt politicians run my country now, and I feel I need to run now to make any kind of difference," said Wantings. "It needs to happen soon or it will be too late."
Wantings — who has dual citizenship in Nigeria and the U.S. — said he does not believe his split loyalties will hurt his chances. "I think the people will appreciate that I can give our country a fresh perspective, a fresh view of the things that need to be done."
Wantings and his family moved to California in 1984, and he became a security officer while he attended Sacramento State and began studying criminal justice.
He always stayed in contact with friends and family back home.
In 2003, Wantings served as vice chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party chapter in the state of Washington. The PDP has several chapters throughout the United States. That same year, he ran unsuccessfully for governor of the Nigerian state of Imo.
Wantings and his family moved to Greeley in 2006 because his wife got a job at a local nursing home.
Wantings said he's been trained by the FBI and KGB, which makes him an ideal choice to root out corruption. He also says his connections with his family business in Nigeria means he can bring legitimate commerce to his land.
Mancho Samba, chairman of the African Detective Association, is listed as a staunch supporter on Wantings' campaign literature. "He will obey, follow, respect the law," Samba said in his endorsement. "Corruption, crimes will be on vacation when he takes over in 2011."
However, retired University of Colorado political science professor James Scarritt is skeptical. Nigeria is roiled by ethnic and religious strife, and it will take more than one man living outside the country to unite it, he said.
"All things being equal, if you are living outside the country for a long time, the chances of solving its problems are less," Scarritt said. "You are still an outsider, even a foreigner."
Wantings wants endorsements from local business and political leaders to help rebuild the infrastructure of Nigeria. His plan is to contract with Colorado firms who will then use Nigerian labor for the rebuilding.
"This is my country's best chance to realize its potential," he said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              720-929-0907      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or mwhaley@denverpost.com