Anambra State former governor, Mr Peter Obi who is also a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) come 2023 has berated the dwindling economic fortunes of Nigeria, which he blamed on poor civilian leadership that has being installed in the country from 1999 till date.
Obi however said he will rescue Nigeria from its present economic woes by facilitating the growth of production if elected President of Nigeria come 2023. He gave this assurance while briefing newsmen after his consultation with the members of executive of the PDP, Enugu State chapter, at the state party secretariat on Tuesday.
He stated, “Today, Nigeria is indebted more than it can pay. And we have continued to borrow more. We even borrow to service debts. What we are sharing is finished. We need wealth creators. We need to move Nigeria out from a consumptive nation into a productive nation’. The problem of Nigeria is leadership. The cumulative effect of the failure our leadership in the past decades is what we are suffering now. So, we must have to do things right. Countries don’t fail overnight’.
He disclosed that many nations like Egypt, Morocco, India, and China etc who were placed on the same economic index with Nigeria in the year 2000 have all rescued their nation above poverty level but the Nigerian economy has suffered serious set- back as a result of poor leadership, from 1999 up to the moment, with about 98 million Nigerians living below poverty line.
The PDP presidential aspirant asserted that the best way to save Nigeria from its present economic woes is to shoot up the production sector by ensuring that all borrowings are channeled into the productive sector, reduce cost of running governance, creating job opportunities for the teeming population of Nigerian Youths, and enhancing food security for every Nigerian.
Obi who lamented incessant killings across the country, stressed that his administration will curtail the prevailing high rate of insecurity to lives and properties across the country to pave way for the production sector to thrive, stating food security will be one of the top priorities of his administration.
‘Natural security is when human beings know where their next meal will come from. 98 million Nigerians are living below poverty line. The poverty rate in Nigeria with a population of about 200 million people is far higher than that of China and India with population of over 2.8 billion people combined’.
‘Unemployment rate in Nigeria is the highest. More than fifty percent of our young people who are of production age are doing nothing. We want to move Nigeria from consumption to production. Everybody is suffering the pains,’ he added.
The PDP presidential aspirant expressed the fact that every aspirant in the 2023 presidential race from the South East zone and other parts of the country are eminently qualified, but the ugly economic situation we have found ourselves, requires a leader who have a vision to create wealth.
Answering questions, Mr Peter Obi condemned media reports attributed to Oba Oluwo, who was quoted to have said that the Igbos cannot be entrusted with the leadership of the country. Obi stressed that the Igbo nation has supported every other zone and this is the time to support the Igbo nation in producing the president of the country, assuring that the Igbos will produce the best president Nigeria desires to turn around the economy of the country, and more importantly secure the unity of Nigeria, as one nation.
