One of the presidential aspirants under the platform of the man opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi has reiterated that as it is currently, Nigeria is going through the most difficult time of its existence in all ramifications.
He further lamented that the situation is so bad that Nigerians across the country are not finding it pretty difficult to live due to the fear of the unknown.
Peter Obi therefore said that he is on a mission to rescue Nigeria and Nigerians from the difficult times it is currently in and to change the trajectory for that of hope and newness.
The PDP presidential aspirant was speaking while interfacing with Bauchi state PDP national delegates to the national convention as well as other stakeholders promising that if given the opportunity of being Nigeria’s next president by giving him the party’s presidential ticket, he will set the country on the path of development.
According to him, “The country is going through a very difficult time now, and it is collapsing and we must, for the future of our children, change the trajectory of the country by ensuring that we move this country from consumption to production, from sharing to creating” .
Peter Obi further said that, “We must build a better place, we must change our country because we cannot continue with this level of underdevelopment, this level of insecurity, with this level of problems all over the place. So, we must do the needful to ensure that in 2023, our party must have a candidate that has the capacity, competence, commitment to build a better Nigeria”.
He also lamented the huge rising debt profile of the country since the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal administration came on board, saying that all countries of the world borrow but however pointed out that while others use the borrowed funds to develop and improve their country and people, Nigeria borrows to share.
He stressed that, “all that we require to take out country out of poverty is to invest a lot, invest in our GDP,” informing the delegates that he had the capacity to tackle the security challenges bedeviling the country”.
The former Anambra State Governor admonished the delegates to think about the future of their children while voting during the national convention and presidential party primaries later in the month.
He said that: “Our country today is insecure and people ask me, ‘how are you going to tackle this issue of insecurity?’ You can fight insecurity in two ways: firstly, you can fight insecurity the natural way and that is making the youths have a means of livelihood” .
The PDP Vice Presidential candidate in 2019 stressed that, “If you don’t know where the next meal will come from, there are tendencies that you go into criminality. So, you must pull people out of poverty because the more you pull people out of poverty, the more you reduce criminality” .
“The second way to tackle insecurity is solving it through men – ensure that you fund security agencies and have capable men, train, empower and provide them with all the necessary equipment they need and this can be done”, he added.
He appealed saying, “My dear delegates, what I am here to plead with you today is that, as you go to the convention, remember that you can’t be in this position forever. Today, you are a delegate, tomorrow, you may not be even if you are made a permanent delegate, you won’t be here forever because a time will come that you’ll have to go back to your maker”.
“When you go to vote at the convention, please, look at the future of your children and ask yourself, ‘which kind of society do I want these children to live in?’ Even if they give you money or buy you lunch, collect it but when you go to vote, look at the future of your children. We need to do things properly,” he further stated.
Peter Obi also said that when he came on board as Anambra state Governor, he cleared the over N30 billion debts in gratuity that his predecessor left and never owed any retired or serving civil servant, contractor or supplier any penny, however, stressing that he handed over $156 million and over N30 billion cash lodged in three banks to his successor.
According to him, the best way to fight corruption, is when the President, Governors , their Wives, family members and those around them do not steal public funds noting that when such happens, it would have been reduced by 60 percent.
He said that: “Since I left government, Anambra state has not bought me pure water because I have no severance, no pension, nothing from the government. I don’t have any piece of land in Anambra state given to me by the government, never and everybody knows that” .
“And talking about how to fight corruption, I say, if you the Governor, the President, the local government Chairman is not stealing, your wife, your children or those around you are not stealing, you’d have reduced corruption by 60%. This is because, when you pick your own, they will also start picking their own”.
Peter Obi also said that, “We need to start building a new Nigeria, we need to start building a new future, it should no longer be a time for sharing because what we have been sharing has finished. We need to start creating. What Peter Obi wants to do in this nation is to change from one of sharing to one of creating, from consumption to production”.
The presidential aspirant promised that, “We will show love and care by making sure that everyone is involved, that is to bring everybody to the table. And if I am the president, I will go round the country to show them that we are one. What we will do differently in economics is to pull people out of poverty and all you need to do is to invest in the youths.”
In a response, the Chairman of the PDP in the state, Hamza Koshe-Akuyam, eulogized the sterling qualities of Obi saying he had the capacity to become Nigeria’s president just as governor Bala Mohammed.
According to Koshe Akuyam, “Governor Peter Obi, throughout his eight years as Governor, never traveled in First Class and with smallest entourage” .
He said that, “Before you became Governor, Anambra state was a state of killings, shrine worshippers, the Ubas, the Andys, the Ngiges and co. Before you become governor, you’ll have to swear in the shrine but Peter came with his own God and now you left Anambra free of all these rascality. Anambra is now a peaceful state”.
The Bauchi State PDP Chairman concluded that, “We have the best of the president in you, we can have a better future for us and our children. We wouldn’t want to be like Somalia, we don’t want to be another Rwanda or another Syria” .
“We want to be Nigeria. I know, that you and our Oga (Governor Bala Mohammed) will settle your issues. These delegates, if their votes are yours, they will be 100 percent, if they are not yours, they won’t be yours 100 percent,” he said.
and then