Obi: Nigeria’s Problem Is Leadership Failure, Not Lack of Resources
• Says over 140m Nigerians live in poverty, 18m children out of school
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, on Thursday declared that Nigeria’s greatest challenge was not a lack of resources but the failure of leadership to convert the country’s enormous wealth into human development, productivity, security and shared prosperity.
Obi stated this in his Independence Day address read to journalists in Abuja to mark Nigeria’s 66th anniversary.
He said the country had become weighed down by poverty, insecurity, hunger, unemployment, poor healthcare and a large population of out-of-school children despite its abundant human and natural resources.
He said the anniversary should not be reduced to celebrations and patriotic speeches, but should provide an opportunity for Nigerians to critically examine the country’s journey since independence and determine whether it was still moving towards the vision of its founding fathers.
According to him, Nigeria must confront three fundamental questions: “Where are we today? Where do we want to be? How do we get from where we are to where we want to be?”
Obi said the questions had become particularly urgent because, despite the promises made by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government in 2023, Nigerians continued to face severe difficulties across virtually every critical sector of national life.
He listed poverty, out-of-school children, insecurity, hunger, maternal and infant mortality, unemployment and substance abuse among the major challenges confronting the country.
Obi said more than 140 million Nigerians were living in poverty and severe hardship, while more than 18 million children were out of school.
He also claimed that more than 35 million young Nigerians were unemployed or underemployed, while over 40 million Nigerians could face extreme hunger by the end of 2026.
On insecurity, the NDC candidate said terrorism, banditry and kidnapping continued to threaten lives and livelihoods, while drug abuse and substance misuse were increasingly affecting young Nigerians.
He further stated that Nigeria’s life expectancy stood at 54 years, compared with a global average of 74 years, describing the country’s social conditions as requiring “serious, sober and honest reflection”.
Obi rejected the suggestion that Nigeria was inherently cursed, arguing that the country was “immensely endowed and blessed”.
“Our greatest problem is not a lack of resources; it is the failure to convert our enormous resources into human development, productivity, security and shared prosperity,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor said his recent visit to Sokoto State with the NDC vice-presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, reinforced his concerns about the condition of ordinary Nigerians.
According to him, the two-day visit involved consultations with people across the state on insecurity, out-of-school children, poverty, youth unemployment and drug abuse.
He said their visit to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp at Ramin Kura in Sokoto metropolis was particularly disturbing, with thousands of women and children living in deplorable conditions after being displaced from their communities.
He said: “What we saw was deeply troubling,” adding that many of the displaced children lacked access to education while mothers and children had limited access to basic healthcare.
“These are Nigerians who should be living in their communities, going to school, farming their land, conducting their businesses and contributing to the economy. Instead, they live as displaced persons in their own country.”
Obi accused political leaders of failing the country and, more importantly, failing Nigerian children, insisting that the situation must change.
He, however, struck an optimistic note, declaring that his message was not one of despair but “hope, determination and responsibility”.
“I dare to proclaim with full assurance that a new Nigeria is possible,” he said.
The NDC candidate promised that, if elected president, he would make governance measurable and accountable, with government policies centred on the welfare and productivity of Nigerians.
“Within the first year, Nigerians will begin to see the tangible impact of purposeful and effective leadership,” he pledged.
Obi said his administration would confront insecurity decisively to enable farmers to return to their farms, children to return to school and businesses to operate without fear.
“No Nigerian should be forced to live in an IDP camp because his or her government has failed to provide security,” he said.
He also promised to facilitate the safe and dignified return of Nigerians displaced by insecurity to their communities.
On the economy, Obi said he would move Nigeria from what he described as a consumption-driven economy to a productive one capable of creating jobs, expanding opportunities, supporting agriculture and manufacturing, and investing heavily in human capital.
“We will prioritise education, healthcare, security and productive enterprise because these are not luxuries. They are the foundations of a functioning nation,” he said.
In an unusual pledge aimed at demonstrating his commitment to understanding the conditions of Nigerians across the country, Obi said he would spend his presidential holidays within Nigeria if elected.
He listed Zamfara, Borno, Kwara, Ebonyi and Ekiti States among destinations he intended to visit during his four-year tenure.
“I want to continue to see Nigeria. I want to know Nigeria. I want to spend time with Nigerians, listen to them, understand their challenges and celebrate their resilience,” he said.
Obi said his administration would seek to build a Nigeria that was secure, united and productive and governed with competence, accountability and justice.
He promised a country where no child would be denied education because of poverty or insecurity, no mother would die because she could not access basic healthcare, farmers could safely return to their farms and young people could find opportunities to work and prosper.
He also pledged that public resources would be deployed strictly for the public good.
The NDC candidate called on Nigerians to approach the 66th Independence anniversary with gratitude for the country’s achievements, honesty about its challenges and courage to confront them.
Obi said: “The Nigeria we desire will not be built by prayers alone, nor by promises alone.
“It will be built by leadership that understands that public office is a sacred trust, by citizens who demand accountability, and by all of us who refuse to accept failure as our destiny.
“It is time to build the new and productive Nigeria that is possible.”