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Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has weighed in on the recent criticism by the United States government regarding the lavish lifestyle of some Nigerian leaders, particularly state governors.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday and titled “Leadership Failure: Nigeria’s Greatest Burden”, Obi described the comments from the U.S. Diplomatic Mission as a reaffirmation of long-standing concerns about governance in the country.
“The cumulative effect of poor leadership remains our greatest obstacle to development,” Obi wrote. “This calls for urgent disruption of the current retrogressive system and the enthronement of leaders with competence, character, capacity, and compassion.”
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, maintained that Nigeria’s governance failures have attracted global scrutiny. He cited a recent post by the U.S. Mission in Nigeria, echoed in The Africa Report, as further evidence that the international community is paying attention to the growing disconnect between Nigerian leaders and the citizens they serve.
“Our declining governance has drawn global attention,” he noted. “This is a clear confirmation of what many of us have long said.”
He also condemned the tendency of public officials to demand sacrifices from citizens while continuing to indulge in luxury.
“You cannot ask the people to keep fasting while you feast every day,” Obi said. “As Chinua Achebe rightly said, ‘The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.’”
Obi further criticized attempts to deflect valid criticism by attacking the messenger, warning that such tactics only deepen the rot in the system.
“I speak out to help build a new Nigeria, free of criminality and corruption. But instead of addressing the message, those who have hijacked our country deploy media thugs to insult and distract,” he stated. “Now that the American government has made similar observations, perhaps they too will become targets.”
Calling for a national reawakening, Obi urged Nigerians to abandon voting patterns based on ethnicity and religion and instead prioritize competence and integrity.
“We have voted based on tribe and religion for too long, it is time to vote for competence,” he said. “Let us move from waste, looting, and reckless borrowing to production. Let us build a Nigeria that works.”
Source: RipplesNigeria | Read More
