- Safiu Kehinde
Labour Party’s 2023 Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, has called for the urgent need to rescue Nigeria as he expressed concern over the declining state of the nation.
Obi made this call in a post shared on his X handle on Tuesday.
While commiserating with Nigerians over the country’s 64th independence anniversary, Obi noted that as compared to other nations that gained independence the same period, Nigeria is underperforming in every measure of development and is poorly ranked in security and peacefulness.
He also claimed that Nigeria is one of the most corrupt in the world with strong disregard to the rule of law.
“By every measure of development, from the critical areas to the smallest aspects, we are underperforming. We rank poorly in security and peacefulness, making us one of the most insecure nations globally.
“We are also ranked among the most corrupt countries, and we are noted for our disregard for the rule of law.
“Our nation continues its dangerous dance on the edge of a precipice.
“When we compare ourselves to countries that gained independence around the same time—before or after us—Nigeria stands out as a nation in decline, urgently in need of rescue from further decay.” Obi wrote.
He stressed that the Independence day supposed to be a day of reflection on the nation’s journey over the past six decades.
“For me, this should also be a day of sober reflection for every Nigerian, especially for us, the leaders, whose actions and inactions have contributed to the stagnation and glaring failures we are witnessing at present.
“As the saying goes, an unexamined life is not worth living. We must, therefore, examine ourselves in the light of our nation’s journey over the past six decades.
“Have we lifted our people out of poverty, or have we driven more into it?
“Have we made education accessible to every Nigerian child, or have we allowed an army of over 18 million out-of-school children to roam the streets?
“Have we built a productive economy, or have we created a nation with the worst debt profile in its history?” He said.
Meanwhile, Obi charged Nigerians to make solem commitment towards building a truly independent nation.
“On this day, therefore, we must make a solemn commitment to build a nation that is truly independent from the state capture that has dragged it into failure and kept its people in suffering.
“We must create a nation free from tribal disunity and religious disharmony.
“We must build a New and Productive Nigeria that prioritizes the well-being of its citizens.
“That is the independence we should celebrate as a nation whose greatness remains possible.” He added.