Nigeria Betrayed By Its Leaders – Peter Obi

In the aforesaid vein, erstwhile Labour Party statesmanlike flagbearer Peter Obi said that successive enactment failures had dashed the imagination and imaginativeness of Nigeria’s forefathers.

Speaking successful a peculiar broadcast connected Wednesday to people the nation’s 65th Independence Day anniversary, Obi noted that the prediction astatine independency successful 1960 that Nigeria would go an emerging African economical and governmental powerfulness was unluckily derailed by successive administrations’ enactment failures.

He stated that Nigeria’s founding fathers fought for independency with confidence, passion, and determination to physique a prosperous Nigeria that would basal alongside the world’s astir precocious nations.

He besides recalled that Time Magazine had predicted a state that would emergence to go a existent African superpower and pb the continent with pride.

He regretted that these visions were betrayed by leaderships that enriched a fewer and impoverished the bulk of citizens.

The erstwhile Anambra State politician further stated that contempt resurgence erstwhile the state returned to civilian ideology successful 1999, which resulted successful Nigeria becoming Africa’s largest economy, the state was diminished by the incompetence of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led national authorities implicit the past decade.

According to Obi, “By the extremity of 2007, our full indebtedness was astir N2.5 trillion, lone 10 per cent of GDP, aft President Obasanjo’s authorities secured indebtedness forgiveness of implicit $30 billion.

“By 2014, Nigeria had go Africa’s largest system and was primed to execute middle-income status.

“In 2015, for the archetypal time, a ruling enactment was defeated successful a statesmanlike election, marking different milestone for our democracy.”

However, helium stated that the representation is bleak, arsenic the nation’s full indebtedness present stands astatine astir N175 trillion, which helium said is astir 50 per cent of GDP, without immoderate betterment successful productive sectors.

“Nigeria has fallen to the fourth-largest system successful Africa, down South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria.

“Our ideology is present described arsenic ‘undemocratic’,” Obi said, regretting that successful conscionable 1 year, the APC medication pushed implicit 15 cardinal Nigerians into acute poverty. At the aforesaid time, much than 150 cardinal Nigerians deficiency entree to basal healthcare, education, water, and sanitation.

“This fig grows regular nether an APC authorities that pursues brutal, revenue-driven policies portion ignoring the payment of its people.

“Nigeria present ranks among the lowest successful the satellite connected quality improvement indicators,” helium added.

Obi condemned the taxes the authorities imposed connected Nigerians, the extravagance of the nation’s leaders, the government’s reckless borrowings and the increasing insecurity successful the country.

Despite this mismanagement, Obi, however, said Nigeria’s imaginable for greatness is inactive achievable, which helium said could hap with competent, compassionate, and committed leadership.

“Our precedence indispensable beryllium prudent economical management, concern successful quality capital, regularisation of law, and infrastructure development.

“We indispensable mobilise our tremendous earthy resources to drastically trim poorness and execute rapid, sustained growth.

“We should larn from nations similar China, India, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, which person turned astir their economies done disciplined enactment and people-centred policies.

“Nigeria excessively tin rebound, but lone if we exit the way of incompetence and fiscal irresponsibility,” helium stated.