Peter Obi responded to US criticism of Nigerian leaders

Peter Obi, a 2023 presidential candidate from the Labor Party, has considered the new criticism by the United States government regarding the luxurious lifestyle of several Nigerian leaders, especially the Governor of the State.

In a statement posted on X (previously Twitter) on Wednesday and entitled “Leadership Failure: Nigeria’s biggest burden”, Obi described the comments of the US diplomatic mission as a reiteration of old concerns about governance in the country.

“The cumulative effect of bad leadership remains our biggest obstacle for development,” Obi wrote. “This requires an urgent disorder of the current retrogressive system and the coronation of leaders with competence, character, capacity, and compassion.”

Obi, the former Governor of the State Anambra, stated that the failure of the Nigerian government had attracted global attention. He quoted a new post -new by the US mission in Nigeria, echoing in African reports, as further evidence that the international community paid attention to the termination that continued to increase between the leaders of Nigeria and citizens they served.

“Our declining governance has attracted global attention,” he said. “This is a clear confirmation of what we have long said.”

He also condemned the tendency of public officials to demand sacrifice from citizens while continuing to enjoy luxury.

“You cannot ask people to keep fasting when you party every day,” Obi said. “As Chinua Achebe said precisely, ‘The problem with Nigeria is a simple and appropriate leadership failure.'”

Obi further criticized efforts to deflect valid criticism by attacking the messenger, warning that such tactics only deepened decay in the system.

“I spoke to help build a new Nigeria, free from crime and corruption. But instead of greeting the message, those who have hijacked our country mobilized the media thugs to insult and distract,” he said. “Now the American government has made similar observations, maybe they will also be a target.”

Calling for national rise, Obi urges Nigerians to leave voting patterns based on ethnicity and religion and vice versa prioritizing competence and integrity.

“We have chosen based on ethnicity and religion for too long, now is the time to choose competence,” he said. “Let’s switch from waste, looting, and loans to production. Let’s build successful Nigeria.”