Peter Obi: Selfish leaders to blame for Nigeria’s woes
Former Governor of Anambra State and Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2019 elections, Peter Obi, says the myriads of crises rocking the country should be blamed on selfish political leaders who have refused to use public funds for the public good.
Obi who spoke at the Third Session of the Fifth Synod of Ogbaru Diocese, Anglican Communion, at St James Anglican Church, Iyiowa-Odekpe in Onitsha on Sunday, said most of the security challenges have economic and political undertones.
He added that if the leaders had invested in key areas of national development, such as small businesses and jobs creation, Nigeria would have been a better and safer place for all.
“You cannot have an army of the world’s poorest people and expect to go in and sleep peacefully at night ” Obi said.
“Millions of idle people in Nigeria do not know where their next meal will come from, because they are unemployed.
“We have, today, over 15 million out of school children roaming the streets. Each of these is a ready instrument of crisis in a nation. The political leaders have failed to do the right thing.
“That is why we have all sorts of crime and uprising in different parts of the country.”
Obi also believes the selfish desire for self-aggrandisement and lack of commitment to progress by politicians was behind some of the challenges facing the country.
To him, political leaders and elite are the major causes of the problems Nigerians face.
The former governor noted that there may be no end in sight to all the crises unless the leaders shun corruption and sincerely use public funds for the good of society.