The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has issued a sharp and urgent statement against the growing wave of terror, banditry, and kidnappings that continue unabated in Nigeria. With the violence currently erupting in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the nation’s very centre, the fears have reached a breaking point. The tragic deaths of two young girls who were abducted and killed in the capital recently have compounded the severity of the problem and increased the imperative of taking urgent action.
Obi, a well-known politician in Nigeria, voiced grave concern about the state of security and emphasised that decision-makers needed to act decisively right now to frontally address the situation. The recent horrors in Abuja have brought attention to how urgent the situation is, leading to calls for quick and thorough interventions.
In a harsh indictment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s current administration, Obi bemoaned the deteriorating conditions in the crucial domains of Security, Economy, and Corruption (SEC). He emphasised that during Buhari’s eight years in office, the situation has only become worse, even though he won the elections in 2015 on the platform of addressing these pressing concerns.
Sen. Kashim Shettima, the vice presidential candidate, gave a guarantee during the 2022 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, which Obi used to emphasise the unmet pledges made by the ruling party. Shettima had promised to oversee security while Buhari concentrated on the financial sector. Obi urged the leaders to keep their word and give it their all, even if it seems impossible to get 100% of the results they want.
Obi took a strong stance, demanding that government representatives immediately cease all outside travel until the local issue is resolved. Prioritising internal issues before pursuing external engagements, he emphasised, would discourage foreign investors and partners from selecting Nigeria due to the country’s current condition of insecurity.
In his parting rallying cry, Obi called for real and coordinated measures to stop the nation’s violence and insecurity from spreading. He underlined that Nigeria could not expect to advance further unless these internal conflicts were resolved. A people aching for change is moved by Obi’s passionate plea for swift and decisive action as the country struggles with these serious problems.
