Mr Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has urged Nigerians not to despair after 63 years of their nationhood, but to remain hopeful that a better Nigeria is still possible.
Obi, the former governor of Anambra, made this known in his goodwill message to celebrate the 63rd Independence anniversary on Sunday.
President Bola Tinubu in his Independence Day broadcast said “he was attuned to the hardships that have come as he has a heart that feels and eyes that see.
Tinubu said his administration now carried the costs of reaching a future Nigeria where the fruits of the nation would be fairly shared among all, not hoarded by a select and greedy few.
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But Obi lamented grave uncertainties and apparent hardship the citizens of Nigeria were experiencing due to persistent leadership failure after 63 years of their nationhood.
He added that the situation might be critical but certainly not hopeless.
“When you Google a subject, the response you get will be based on the questions you input. Every nation invariably determines its own fate and destiny; and gets the leadership it deserves.
“Nigeria cannot be an exception. If we subscribe to rogue leadership, then we must face the attending consequences.
“At 63 years, what type of questions are Nigerians asking of their leaders and what type of answer are we expecting?
“Present realities notwithstanding, I am hopeful that a new Nigeria is possible, but the burden of responsibility is on Nigerians,” he said.
Obi said that “every Oct. 1, since 1960, people tried to review their life as a nation but on looking back, could they say that ‘where we are is where we are supposed to be despite our vast human and natural resources?’” (NAN)
