A former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has said Nigeria’s biggest problem over the years has been leadership failure.
Obi, a former vice-presidential candidate and now presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, stated this when appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
He said, “One singular, biggest problem which we have seen to be affecting Nigeria essentially at present is leadership failure. What we are experiencing now is the cumulative effect of the leadership failures over the years.
“Leaderships that failed to look into the future and invest in the future. What Nigerians want to see is a leader who has the competence, and the capacity to genuinely start tackling the innermost problems affecting our country, starting from the issue of cohesion and unity.
We are so divided today as a nation. They need to bring us together to love and care for each other. (There is) the issue of insecurity…to ensure the security of life and property; the issue of the economy, especially tackling unemployment, which is at a level that is not acceptable. Dealing with the issue of education, power supply, corruption…the list is endless.”
When asked what should be the first thing the next President should focus on when he or she gets into office, Obi said, “I don’t believe in ‘first 100 days,’ I believe in tackling the right things from Day 1. The first is that the role of a leader is solving problems; bringing solutions to problems, not to be creating more problems or blame. What we have here in Nigeria is that somebody seeks a political position and when he (or she) is elected, they start blaming. You were elected to solve that problem and you have to start solving that problem from Day 1.”
He further said in part, “Our universities are closed for months and we as political leaders are not even talking about it. Rather, we are talking about the next elections. Our children are at home. It is painful. Our children are at home at this time when education is the most critical asset for tomorrow.”
