Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has criticized Nigeria’s leadership, emphasizing that his ambition is not driven by desperation for power but by a desire to see the country thrive.
Addressing graduating students at a recent event, Obi encouraged the youth to embrace a spirit of service and commit to driving positive change.
“All of this is to inspire you to ignite the change and provide support,” Obi said. “It’s not about saying, ‘I want to be in charge, I want to do this, or I want to do that.’”
Dismissing claims of desperation, he clarified: “When people say I’m desperate, I say, ‘No, I am not desperate to be Nigeria’s president. I am desperate to see Nigeria work because it can work.’”
Obi urged Nigerian youths to champion the emergence of the “right leadership” to drive the country’s development. Referencing economist and Nobel laureate James Robinson, he said: “Last year, Robinson said that Nigeria is a country that knows what to do to prosper but refuses to do it.”
He likened Nigeria’s leadership crisis to entrusting the wheel to drivers who have already reached their destinations, warning that such mismanagement leads to inevitable losses.
“You cannot let people who have passed their time or reached their destinations drive you. That is what you need to help reignite. Use what you have to help us change society. Don’t become part of the problem,” Obi said.
The former governor further challenged the youth to rise above the shortcomings of past generations.
“You are victims of Nigeria’s situation because our generation and the one before us refused to do what was right. Now we are all suffering for it,” he added.
