The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has explained that his trip abroad is to enable him interact with Nigerians in Diaspora who are eager to make their own contributions to the mission of rebuilding the country.
In a statement by the Obi-Datti Media Office on Friday, Obi said his trip was in response to numerous invitations from Nigerians in Diaspora.
The media office said it had recieved many calls from numerous members of the Nigerians in Diaspora seeking to know and to follow the itinerary of the presidential candidate’s one week tour of some foreign countries.
According to it, the LP candidate’s tour is a response to numerous invitations from Nigerians in Diaspora who are seeking to make their own contributions to the mission of rebuilding the country.
The statement said: “Obi, who believes very strongly that Diasporas are critical to the future of moving Nigeria forward, said he intends to make such consultations abroad regularly in the course of the campaigns.
“Obi, who is excited about the trip, said he is anxious because Diasporas who are leaving in a good system have a lot to impact for the challenges ahead.
“I need to tap their brains on the task ahead. They are all as anxious as all of us for a better Nigeria in our life time. I am excited to meet them all.”
The media office further said: “Obi’s messages ahead of 2023 which resonate with Nigerians, especially youths, who are turning it into a political movement, has attracted the attention of Nigerians and indeed Africans in Diaspora who want to share in his vision and invited him to come over for various conferences, meetings and interviews.”
The statement said that soon after his emergence as the party’s standard-bearer, Obi commenced consultations with various segments of Nigeria’s community preparatory to the national campaigns.
It added that the presidential candidate believes that for effectiveness and urgent results, all Nigerians must be involved and be carried along.
“For this mission to be effective and result oriented, all hands must be on deck,” it said.
The media office said the first arm of this tour will see Obi visiting Europe, Canada and America, adding that he will feature in conferences, town hall meetings, media interviews and lectures.
According to the breakdown, on Sunday, August 28, Obi will be in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for a town hall meeting to discuss ‘Postive Impact of Nigeria’s Diaspora on our Country’s Growth and Development’.
On Monday, August 29, 2022, he will be in Los Angeles, California, USA for media interface with the international journalist, Ademola Fayehun, adding that on the same day, he will deliver a lecture over a dinner on the ‘Role of Nigeria’s Diaspora in Civic Leadership in the Country’.
The media office said Obi will be in Texas, USA for another dinner lecture on ‘Active Engagement by Nigerians’s Diaspora for Civic Leadership’, while on Wednesday, he holds a media interface with USA-Africa, while on the same day, he is expected to hold a breakfast meeting with some select leaders to discuss the theme ‘Rebuilding Nigeria is a Collective Responsibility’.
The media office said that it is envisaged that the tour will help mobilize Nigerians in Diaspora to be on the same page with the rest of Nigerians at home.
Obi is expected to conclude his visit on Sunday.