Fix Nigeria now to avert anarchy,Obi warns, visits Ikpeazu

…Laments that Nigerians can’t afford to buy bread

…Wants leaders to use public money for public good

From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

Labour Party  (LB) Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, on Saturday, warned that if Nigeria fails to get the 2023 elections right, there would be anarchy in the country.

Obi who stormed Umuahia, Abia State capital, to honour the scholarship award event by Dr. Alex Otti, the gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party Candidate in the state, under the auspices of Alex Otti Foundation, also asked the Church to pray that Nigeria’s leaders should deploy public resources to public good.

The former Anambra State Governor who spoke at Matter Dei Cathedral, Umuahia, during a Mass preceding the Scholarship awards programme, said it was unacceptable that in Nigeria, country richly blessed by God with natural resources, the population was finding it difficult to feed themselves.

Explaining his current trip round the country to meet with Governors of the states, Obi whose speech was punctuated with thunderous applauses from the congregation and his supporters who thronged the church, said he was bearing the gospel of doing the right thing in 2023 so that Nigeria would not burn.

“Why am I meeting all of them? I am meeting all of them to tell them very simple thing, if we don’t do the right thing, there will be anarchy, an anarchy that will consume everybody, whether you are Governor, whether you are Bishop, whether you are anything, we all will be consumed here. When we die, bishops will go to heaven, politicians can go to hell, but here, everybody will go.

“And I am warning everybody, let’s fix this place now before it gets worse; we must fix this place now,” he said.

On the current economic hardship Nigerians were facing, he said: “It is unacceptable that we can leave in the country with all the facilities God gave us for free and millions of people don’t know where the next meal will come from. It is totally unacceptable.”

He attributed the hardship in Nigeria to abuse of the grace of God by public officers who fail to use public money for public good.

“Whatever we have in our lives, whatever power we get, it is from the grace of God.

We must stop abusing the grace of God in this country; and use public money for public good and stop people (from) suffering.

“Continue to pray for Nigeria, but most importantly, your prayer point is let God touch all the politicians, use me as the person you are seeing, let God touch our leaders to use public money for public good.

“It is not their personal money. They must use it for public good. We also stop the waste. There is too much waste in our system, people are being owed pensions, people are being owed gratuities and those who are supposed to pay them are living the life of a star, it is unfair.

“We want public money to be used for public good. Please remain prayerful, go out. 2023, we will make a difference and start building our country. Take back your country, let’s rebuild it,” he said.

To rebuild Nigeria, Obi said the electorate must interrogate the credentials of candidates seeking election as President. “Ask questions, ask them what they want to do and everything,” he told the congregation.

He restated his desire to change Nigeria from a consuming nation to a producing country. Giving an example of how Nigeria was a consuming nation, he said: “Finally to explain consumption to production, so you know why it is important.

“Nigeria is a country with a land size of 923, 000 square kilometres of land, with a population of 200 million and God blessed us with oil and everything. We have over 100 million people living in poverty.

“But to show you that we are not a producing country, last year, our total export, including oil, is less than $30 billion, that is why we don’t find dollars today.

“Another country, which I will use only one country for example, Vietnam, living on 331, 000 square kilometres of land, that is a third of Nigeria’s size, with half of our population, 100 million; their total export is $312 billion. They didn’t export oil, all they exported is manufactured goods. They exported clothing, which we are sewing in Aba – $32 billion dollars, twice what we earn from oil that we are sharing; they exported shoes, which we make in Aba – over $20 billion, which is more than what we earn from oil.” 

On his meeting with Governor Okezie Ikpeazu earlier in the day at his Umuobiakwa, Obingwa, country home, Obi said he told him that he would support the economic growth of the city.

“I said to the Governor of Abia State today, if I am president, that I can assure you, two years, Abia and Port Harcourt will be one city.

“Because that thing they (other countries) produce, you must produce it in Aba and export it. We must go and compete with the world. We cannot be here and wasting our time when the world is moving. The tailors in Aba can make clothes, the shoemakers in Aba, can make shoe wears. What we need is government support to export it so we can make a living.

“We have to stop being a consuming nation and become productive, like every other country: create jobs, create opportunities for people. This country have young people, full of energy, full of talents, but the old ones don’t want to give them space. So we must now give them space.”

Obi said it was heart breaking that with Nigeria’s natural resources, there was so much hunger in the land.

“So, when I talk about consumption, we must create opportunity for the poor people in this country to earn a living. We cannot continue where people cannot buy bread, no; this is not our country. Our country must be productive,” he said. 

Obi used the opportunity to narrate how he handed over after his eight-year tenure as governor of Anambra State, just to emphasise that public officers should not tamper with public money.

“It is easy to say I am stingy, it easy to say anything, but I am happy that I worked closely with Alex (Abia State Labour Party Governorship Candidate). He was one of those when I was Governor, he was Managing Director of Diamond Bank, a bank that I have been involved and I can say he was an astute manager.

“But he would remember that the day I handed over government, I invited him. I invited three banks – Access Bank, Diamond Bank and Fidelity Bank because I didn’t want to handover confidentially. I told everybody in Anambra State, all the bishops were there, all traditional rulers were there, and I said all of you, I want you to listen today because I am handing over.

“I called the three Managing Directors of the banks, including him. He was the second person I called. I called the first bank Managing Director, Accesse Bank headed by Aig-Imoukhede, I said I have with you, as Anambra State balance today, $50 million, N12 billion, he said yes, I said give it to the person who is coming because that is state money. “And I called him, Alex, he was the second person, and I said Alex, I have in Diamond Bank $50 million and N12 million, he said yes, I said give it to the next governor and I called the third bank, I have $50 billion, N12 billion, and he said yes, I said give it to the state.

“Why did I say that? And I told them, I am going today from here; I have no pension, I have no gratuity, I have led Anambra for eight years, they never bought me pure water because a governor doesn’t have retirement benefit.

“Whatever you have, you came to serve the people, when you finish, go home; God has blessed you enough. Nobody asked me to keep that money. Nobody said it must be kept, but it was public money,” he said.

Obi paid a visit to Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, at his Umuobialwa country home in Obingwa local government area of the state.

A statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Sir Onyebuchi Ememanka, said the former Anambra State Governor arrived Umuobiakwa quite early this morning and was received by his host, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

The statement daid Obi informed Ikpeazu that he was in Abia State to attend an event at the Mater Dei Catholic Cathedral, Umuahia and in line with official courtesies and protocols, he had to come to see the Governor before proceeding to the event.

They discussed a wide range of issues, including Security, Economy and Politics.

They also had a private breakfast session.

Governor Ikpeazu presented him with a Souvenir bag containing the first ever Abia State Long Term Development Plan and the Abia State Industrial Policy which was presented to the Governor yesterday by ECOWAS Representative at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Mr. Obi also spoke to newsmen for a few minutes before leaving for Umuahia.

Obi is in Umuahia to attend the Alex Otti Foundation programme being sponsored by the Abia State Governorship Candidate of Labour Party, Dr Alex Otti