Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, has once again voiced strong opinions on the state of the Nigerian economy, corruption, and leadership. Speaking at the combined 3rd and 4th convocation ceremonies at the Dominican University, Samonda, Ibadan, Obi shared his thoughts on issues that continue to impact the country. He condemned the current state of corruption, criticized the removal of the fuel subsidy, and stressed the importance of leadership in Nigeria’s future.
Obi, who is also the Pro-Chancellor of the university, discussed the impact of corruption on the Nigerian society, which he believes has crippled the country’s growth. “Corruption has killed the three key things that make a state a state,” Obi said. “It has killed entrepreneurship, professionalism, and hard work.”
According to Obi, the root of the problem lies in Nigeria’s corrupt politics. “If your politics is more profitable than your industry, you are finished,” he stated. “Nobody works hard in a corrupt country.”
Obi expressed deep concern about how corruption has destroyed the moral fabric of Nigerian society. He pointed out that many people are no longer motivated to work hard because of the temptation to benefit from the country’s corrupt systems. “Today, not many people are working hard to be a professor or to become anything,” Obi said. “Why would you suffer when you can earn without it?”
Obi called for stronger action in the fight against corruption. “We need to deal decisively with mismanagement and stealing of public funds,” he said. He emphasized that the government and its agencies must provide proof when they claim to have recovered stolen assets. “It is not enough to say ‘we recovered N100 billion.’ How did the N100 billion come about?” Obi challenged. “We need to link it to any missing money at the local government, state, or federal government levels.”
One of the most controversial issues in Nigerian politics today is the removal of fuel subsidies. During his presidential campaign, Obi was vocal about the need to remove fuel subsidies, but he also stressed the importance of careful planning. “There is a difference between a planned, gradual removal and a haphazard one,” he said.
He pointed out that the sudden and unplanned nature of the subsidy removal has led to widespread discontent among Nigerians. “If you had done it with proper planning, it would have been better,” Obi remarked. “People wouldn’t have been feeling what they are feeling now.”
Obi stressed that when government policies are implemented, they must be accompanied by viable alternatives. “If you say you are denying us lunch, what are we getting in return so that we don’t starve during that period?” Obi asked. “You cannot just remove something without thinking of or making a replacement available.”
While reflecting on the challenges Nigeria faces, Obi made a passionate appeal for better leadership. He believes that Nigeria’s failure to thrive is directly linked to the country’s leadership issues. “There is nothing wrong with Nigeria,” Obi declared. “Nothing is wrong with the country called Nigeria—nothing is wrong with our environment, the air we breathe, the food we eat.”
Obi pointed out that the country’s problems stem from the inability of leaders to take responsibility and rise to the challenges of governance. “It is only the inability of our leaders to rise up to their responsibility that is the problem,” he said. “We must get leadership right if we are to move Nigeria from consumption to production.”
Despite the numerous challenges facing the country, Obi remains hopeful. He encouraged Nigerians to believe that change is possible, but only through conscious effort. “Everything is about the choices we make as a people,” Obi said. He quoted a Nobel laureate who argued that Nigeria knows what it needs to do to prosper but refuses to act on it. “Your development and your growth are linked to your political process,” Obi explained, stressing that Nigeria’s future depends on its leadership.
Obi was particularly vocal about the manner in which the fuel subsidy was removed. He reiterated that the government cannot ask Nigerians to make sacrifices without showing that it is doing the same. “If you must ask the people to fast, you should not be feasting,” he said. “If you are fasting, everybody should be fasting, and you should see that everybody is fasting. That should be it.”
In his call for unity and fairness, Obi stressed that leadership should not be a privilege for a few but a collective responsibility. “Let everybody come and move around at the same time,” he added.
Obi also took time to address the recent graduates in attendance at the convocation. He urged them to live lives of value and contribute to the building of a new Nigeria. “You must live a life of value, even if it is in a society where you have to use the values you have learned to build a new Nigeria,” Obi told the graduates.
He encouraged them to focus on giving more to society than what they take from it. “You must prepare to give more to the society than what you want to take out of the society,” Obi said, emphasizing the importance of contributing positively to national development.
