Labor Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi has declared Nigeria a failed state, saying the country must be saved from the destructive antics of predatory leaders.
Obi said this at the 2023 leadership town hall meeting hosted by the University of Abuja on Friday.
The former governor of Anambra State blamed Nigeria’s existential crises on the cumulative effect of bad leadership rooted in incompetence and a lack of foresight.
He denounced the multidimensional poverty in the country, adding that a new leadership approach must be forged to move the country forward.
“Nigeria today faces a crisis of corruption and bad leadership. Nigeria manufactures poverty. The foundations of a better country are security and unity. There are no formidable criminals, what is missing is proactive leadership. The lack of decisive engagement-driven governance has resulted in the collapse Nigeria is experiencing,” Obi said.
While answering questions about the crises plaguing the country’s education and health sectors, Obi blamed the problem on predatory and wasteful leadership.
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The former governor described as unacceptable the lack of political will required to confront crime and address the endemic poverty crisis in the country.
“It is not acceptable to have a government that negotiates with criminals, but not with university professors. The share and collect policy needs to be addressed so that the country can move forward. There is a need for massive investment in education and health as the main engine of development in any developed country in the world.
“The leadership in the country abhors waste. This is unacceptable. We waste a lot of resources. What about oil theft and other problems? This mischief must not continue. Our administration will ensure that the national resources are properly harnessed and used to facilitate the development of the country.
“Evil thinking, as well as theft, must be controlled. We will deal with this decisively. The problem is that Nigeria celebrates criminality and bad behavior. That’s crazy. We cannot allow our country to tip over. Not at all. We need a country that works for everyone and can compete globally,” she concluded.
By Ambali Abdulkabeer
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