Peter Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State and a Presidential hopeful has expressed some of what he feels are the issues troubling Nigeria.
According to him, the country has been in trouble since its independence in 1960 due to a failure of leadership. He went on to condemn what he described as money politics by some politicians, stating that only competent leadership can unite the nation.
Nigerians must “resist the temptation by enemies of collective progress, as well as the influence of moneybags as Nigeria prepares for the 2023 general election.”
He added that inadequacy of the people chosen to lead the country has contributed to worsening the country’s problems, from widening the parochial divisions among the citizens to the plundering of the treasury. Furthermore, he called on the youths to take over the ownership of the country, stressing that their docility in the affairs of the nation contributed to their bane.
Peter Obi made this statement on Thursday, during the formal inauguration of the National Executive Council of Nigeria Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Council. The event was held in Abuja.
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In a lecture titled, National Development: Role of the Nigeria Youths, he stated
“Don’t think you are going to get anything out of incompetent leadership no matter how it benefits you personally. It will worsen the entire country and eventually worsen you.
“Let Nigeria’s next leadership from the local governments to the state and federal levels be people who have the capacity to govern; people who have integrity and managers of resources; people who know where to invest. The biggest assets of a country are the human beings that live in that country. Nigeria as a nation has not invested in its people.”
“It is good we have some physical infrastructure. But you cannot make physical infrastructure without investing in human development. Elect those that can invest in you so that we can have a progressive country that can help everybody.”