Bukola Afeni
Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023 election, Peter Obi has expressed concern over the state of Nigeria’s leadership, describing the current governance as marked by “mediocrity, corruption, and impunity.”
In a statement on his X handle, the former Anambra state governor recounted an encounter with a group of young Nigerians at the airport who questioned his silence amid troubling national developments, including questionable ambassadorial appointments, rising insecurity, and extravagant spending by political elites.
Responding, Obi said, “There is a pain that words cannot fully describe when you see the suffering of ordinary Nigerians and compare it to the reckless insensitivity displayed by those entrusted with leadership. It is the kind of pain that makes you remember the humiliating remark from the American president who referred to Nigeria as a “now disgraced country.”
He criticized the current leadership for prioritizing frivolity over the welfare of citizens and urged young Nigerians not to lose hope.
“Today, when you look around, you begin to understand why the world speaks of us that way. Yes, some of the names being paraded to represent us as ambassadors globally are shocking. But with a leadership that has allowed mediocrity, corruption, and impunity to rise to the top, who else did you expect them to choose?
“When our people are being killed, our leaders are busy hosting dinners.
When children are being snatched from their schools, the political class is celebrating and dancing.
When families cannot afford their next meal, those in power are welcoming defectors and exchanging gifts as though Nigeria is not burning.
“This is not governance.This is not leadership.
And this is certainly not the Nigeria we deserve.
“We cannot continue normalising this level of moral decay and national indifference. A nation rises when its leaders feel the pain of its citizens not when they insulate themselves from it. A nation progresses when compassion, competence, and accountability guide public office, not when frivolity becomes the order of the day,” he wrote.
