Nigeria @65: Obi slams APC leadership, says Nigeria can still reclaim greatness

Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has used the occasion of Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary to launch a scathing attack on the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government, accusing it of wastefulness, corruption, and incompetence that have left millions of Nigerians impoverished.

In a statement on Wednesday, Obi lamented that what should have been a day of celebration had instead become a painful reminder of the country’s lost potential. He recalled that at independence in 1960, Nigeria was hailed as a rising African superpower with immense promise, but that “tragic failures of leadership” had derailed that vision.

He praised the resilience of Nigerians who restored democracy in 1999 and helped build Africa’s largest economy by 2014, but said the last decade had been marked by “APC’s divisive and corrupt rule,” which has pushed the country into debt and poverty.

Obi noted that Nigeria’s total debt has ballooned to about N175 trillion, nearly 50 percent of GDP, without commensurate improvement in productive sectors. Once Africa’s largest economy, he said, the country now lags behind South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria, while its democracy is described globally as “undemocratic.”

“In just one year, this administration pushed over 15 million Nigerians into acute poverty,” Obi said, adding that more than 150 million citizens now lack access to basic healthcare, education, water, and sanitation. He accused the government of pursuing “brutal revenue-driven policies” while splurging on luxury items, citing billions spent on new presidential jets, yachts, and vehicles while the health and education sectors remain underfunded.

He condemned the renovation of the Vice President’s residence at N25 billion, “more than the combined capital budgets of six major teaching hospitals”, and allocations of over N10 billion for car parks and canteens at the National Assembly, which exceeded the capital vote for the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Obi said insecurity had further worsened the country’s economic outlook, with Nigerians living in fear of kidnappings and banditry while billions of naira are paid in ransom. “Incompetence in security management has turned our country into one of the most terrorised and unsafe nations in the world,” he warned.

Despite the bleak situation, Obi insisted that Nigeria’s greatness could still be reclaimed. He called for “competent, compassionate, and committed leadership” that prioritises prudent economic management, human capital development, rule of law, and infrastructure. He urged Nigeria to learn from countries like China, India, and Indonesia that transformed their economies through disciplined leadership.

Obi said Nigerians must not despair but rather channel their anger into determination to rebuild the country. “We must end a system where leaders feast while the people starve, where politics enriches a few and impoverishes the many. The old politics must end, and a new politics of prosperity for all must begin,” he declared.

While urging political leaders to rise above corruption, division, and personal interest, Obi maintained that Nigeria’s resources, talent, and resilience could still power it into an industrialised nation. “Despite today’s challenges, the future remains bright. A new Nigeria is POssible,” he affirmed.