Amid the ongoing killings by herdsmen in Benue State, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, has said that Nigeria urgently needs a leadership that encompasses ‘Four Cs’: competence, capacity, character and compassion to be able to make progress as a nation.
According to him, the country is currently in deep trouble because a leadership with the above qualities is lacking, arguing that to achieve these qualities, Nigerians “must move away from voting based on tribe and religion.”
Obi, citing two major tragedies in the country, the killings in Benue State by herders and the recent flooding in Niger State, noted that the absence of adequate leadership had shown how there was no comprehensive response or solutions to bring succour to victims.
Obi voiced his worries just as the Acting National Chairman of the LP, Senator Nenadi Usman, called for increased deployment of troops in vulnerable communities in Benue state to protect lives and property.
Senator Usman also demanded full investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators of the attacks in the state.
Taking to his X handle on Monday, Obi tweeted, “Competence because Nigeria today needs a leader who understands the issues, who has the knowledge, experience, and clear ideas to solve them. Capacity because it is not a ceremonial position; it requires strength, stamina, and the mental energy to confront our complex challenges. And above all, leadership must be rooted in character and integrity because without integrity, public trust collapses, corruption thrives, and selfishness takes over. But perhaps most importantly, we need compassion, because when a leader lacks compassion, human lives are treated as statistics, and suffering is ignored.
“Sadly, the evidence is right before our eyes. Recently, we witnessed severe flooding in Niger State that claimed nearly 200 lives, with many still missing. Yet, not even a single presidential visit, this, in a nation where the scene of the tragedy is less than an hour away by helicopter.
“Just days ago, over 200 Nigerians, innocent men, women, children, and even soldiers were massacred in Benue State. Again, no presidential visit. No physical presence at the scenes of pain. No genuine national mourning. No leadership face to comfort the grieving or give hope to the people.”
In contrast, the former governor of Anambra State mentioned other countries where tragedies occurred and the leadership response was prompt.
He added, “Yet, we have seen what true leadership looks like elsewhere:
“In India, after a plane crash killed nearly 200 people, the Prime Minister was physically at the scene within hours.
“In South Africa, when floods claimed 78 lives, the president went personally to the affected communities, stood with them, and took responsibility.
“That is leadership with compassion. That is leadership that understands the value of human life. But here in Nigeria, we have normalised leadership without empathy, without accountability, and without a human face.
“That is why I insist: Nigeria does not just need another president; Nigeria needs a leader, a leader with competence, capacity, character, and compassion. Until we choose leaders on these principles, the cycle of pain will only continue.”
On her part, Senator Usman also sought urgent humanitarian services for the affected communities in Benue state, including food, shelter, medical care, and trauma support for victims.
Condemning the killing of “over 100 Nigerians”, among whom were Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS), women, children, and security officers, she said the bloodletting was most unbearable.
The LP’s acting chairman noted that the dead “were not just numbers. They were human beings, innocent lives cut short; children who deserved protection, not slaughter; mothers who should be nurturing their families, not buried in mass graves; fathers whose lives were stolen while defending their homes.”
Like Obi, Senator Usman tweeted on her X handle on Monday, saying that everyone with conscience must condemn the heinous attacks in Benue.
“The burning of homes, the ambush of security officers, the helplessness of internally displaced persons caught in these merciless attacks, all expose the continued failure of government at all levels to fulfill the most basic responsibility: to protect lives and property”, she wrote.
Usman tweeted further, “We in the Labour Party pledge to stand and will continue to advocate for policies that protect our people, empower the weak, and deliver justice to the victims.
“To the grieving families, I mourn with you as a mother. To the children left orphaned, to the women widowed, to the communities shattered, know that your pain is felt across this nation, and your cries for justice will not be ignored.
“Nigeria must rise beyond mere condemnations. We must act decisively. The blood of the innocent cries out and as a people, we must respond with justice, with compassion, and with urgency. Enough is enough.”
and then