- Obi said the government can’t be harping on the need for the citizens to sacrifice and live frugally while government officials live flamboyantly and spend public funds recklessly
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Peter Obi, has advised president Bola Tinubu on what to do to halt Nigeria’s decline into a failed State.
He admonished Tinubu to lead by example as the actions and decisions of his government do no reflect the troubling situation of things in the country.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, the former Anambra State governor said the government can’t be harping on the need for the citizens to live frugally while government officials live flamboyantly and spend public funds recklessly.
He noted that the lifestyle and mannerism of the president and those around him must show that the nation is going through a tough time.
Obi said, “You start by living like somebody who is coming through difficulty, who is facing difficulty, who wants to change things. That’s how we do it.
“You don’t engage in what we’ve been doing- buying vehicles, partying and everything as if things are normal when you say there is difficulty. You need to deal with the issue of cutting the cost of governance, that’s where you start. You need to deal with the issue of massive corruption.”
He further said, “I’ve served in a system where I came in and found that things are bad, and we start by cutting the cost of governance.
“The role of a leader is not to remind people of the past or mention the past or think about the past. Your role is to show the path by doing things that are right. Change starts from you, by you if you decide to walk the right path, that’s how it starts,” Obi added.
Asked if he believes his popularity has increased since the last election, Obi said, “Mine is to continue interacting and being part of the process of building a new Nigeria that is possible, because we can’t go on this way. We’re heading into a disaster, we must do things rightly.
“Like I always said, I’m not desperate to be president, I’m desperate to see Nigeria work, and work for the poor people of Nigeria. The system has been very uncaring for the people of Nigeria, and we must succeed. Work where we have to remove this criminalised system, corruption that we the politicians have unleashed on the country and make it better.”