A former governor of Anambra State, and presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, says Nigeria’s biggest problem over the years is leadership failure.
Mr Obi stated this on Sunday when he appeared on a Channel’s TV programme, “Sunday Politics.”
“One singular, biggest problem which we have seen to be affecting Nigeria essentially at present is leadership failure.
“What we are experiencing now is the cumulative effect of the leadership failures over the years,” he said.
The vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 elections said, with the current situation in the country, Nigerians are yearning for “a leader who has the competence, and the capacity to genuinely start tackling the innermost problems affecting our country, starting from the issue of cohesion and unity.”
“We are so divided today as a nation. (We have) the issue of insecurity; the issue of the economy, especially tackling unemployment, which is currently at a level that is not acceptable.
“Dealing with the issue of education, power supply, corruption. The list is endless,” he added.
No value in education
Mr Obi also expressed pain that universities are closed down in the country due to the industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union Of Universities (ASUU).
He said it is unfortunate that politicians are discussing the 2023 elections even when Nigerian students are wasting away at homes due to the industrial action, adding that the situation was another evidence of leadership failure in the country.
“Our universities are closed for months and we (political leaders) are not even talking about it. Rather, we are talking about the next elections.
“It is painful. Our children are at home at this time when education is the most critical asset for tomorrow, ” he added.
He contended that the Nigerian government would have fulfilled the agreements with ASUU if they placed enough value on education.
ASUU had embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14th and later extended the action by another two months to press home its demands, with the prominent ones being the renegotiation of the ASUU/FG 2009 agreement and the sustainability of the university autonomy by deploying UTAS to replace the government’s “imposed” IPPIS.
Other demands include the release of the reports of visitation panels to federal universities, distortions in salary payment challenges, funding for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowance, poor funding of state universities and promotion arrears.
Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility
Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.
By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.
TEXT AD: Why women cheat: what every Nigerian man should know
