Peter Obi: A Judgment On Nigerians’ Love For Hypocrisy

By Ikeddy ISIGUZO*

It’s time to discard all pretenses. What to do with Peter Obi remains a major challenge for Nigerians as the presidential race recklessly gears up for 2027. He was a factor in 2023, and he will continue to raise questions about what Nigerians truly want and what we intend to do about it.

Obi is daring, deft, and seemingly deaf to the din of traditional political practices. His bravery endlessly troubles his opponents.

What do we do with Obi? What do we do without him? Are we ready for Obi and his proposals?

The answers provide a cure for the hyped hypocrisies masquerading as competence to manage Nigeria. The most intriguing of these nagging issues is the displacement of competence with entitlement.

Obi doesn’t preach; he simply shares, with crisp citations, evidential proof of what he accomplished in Anambra State as Governor. He intends to replicate these achievements as President of Nigeria if elected. We applaud. But will it end there?

Nigerians claim their country is on the brink. These same Nigerians want someone to pull the country back from its accelerating demise. Obi has offered himself, and his proposals are clear.

No Governor in his era left behind the hefty sums and investments that he bequeathed to his successor. None of his contemporaries compiled a handover note revealing checks earmarked for teachers, pensioners, contractors, and other obligations. His records in other areas are indisputable.

He then swore an affidavit in a High Court to authenticate the details of his tenure. The savings he made in local and foreign bonds were worth $156 million in March 2014. No one has achieved a fraction of that. He never borrowed, and he left no debts.

Obi lifted Anambra State out of the chaos it was in. He ignored the “fat cats” who dubbed themselves godfathers. He rescued a State that had embraced rambunctiousness as its defining characteristic.

He isn’t earning any pension from Anambra State, at a time when Governors across Nigeria have approved hefty pensions for themselves (with a few exceptions).

Alas, other things impress Nigerians, chiefly how much someone is willing to give them to get into office. The harvest season for political merchants is fast approaching.

Many aspirants have lined up, seemingly for the same mission. Many words are being tossed about in keeping with the season. What sets Obi apart is the clarity of his thoughts, exemplified by his work as Governor, and his understandable positions on every issue.

Obi has built on his competence to cultivate a nationwide following that isn’t procured through a heavy pocket. There are other differences.

He is frugal; he lives it. People mock him for his simplicity, which eschews the pomp of office. He reminds Nigerians that the country is in dire straits and needs to be cured of its wastefulness.

Part of that wastefulness is perpetuated by the deliberate choice of leaders who lead us to booming doom.

President Muhammadu Buhari remains a sterling example. Those who chose him to feed their selfishness spent years defending his blunders. They blame everyone except the man and themselves for his serial failures. They continue praising him to safeguard their future.

Nigeria is bound for further doldrums if measures that can redeem it are mixed up with choices that devour our tomorrow, today.

Obi is ready to offer innovative services that would strip Nigeria of the huge baggage it carries around as it tries to make progress. Obi represents that opportunity.

He is not a saint. If he were, he probably wouldn’t be in the race. His demonstrated abilities to turn around situations should count for something beyond annoying opponents, as his charity does.

Do the heights he expects Nigeria to attain matter? What are others offering? What did they do with past opportunities? How are they managing Nigeria’s resources?

If we ignore Obi, we will have chosen to continue with the next level of nothingness. We can change for the better when we join Obi to make a difference in our lives as a people and as a country.

The choice remains the same as in 2023 when Nigerians decided. Were we not aware then? What has changed?

Nigeria has worsened, and the divisions have widened. We can no longer agree on what constitutes a crime, even though laws define it. Hardly anything makes sense anymore.

Obi stands apart from the distractions that are thrown at Nigeria’s flimsy chances of making any meaningful progress under the guise of party squabbles, insecurity, hunger, and a poverty that tempts even saints to be perfidious.

Obi is a judgment on who the majority of Nigerians are – lovers of hypocrisy.

Finally…

IF we are what we eat, what are those who have nothing to eat? Food prices are still soaring. The determination of our leaders to nurture poverty is disturbing.

WHO will be the next President? Political profiteers, prophets, and plain thieves, who live off the gullible, are whispering names, making millions in the process. Some claim the Almighty has told them!

SENATE President Obong Godswill Akpabio has assured Plateau State that the killings will end soon. “As the President of the 10th Senate, I hear you loud and clear, and be assured that your travails will be given the needed attention and response from the relevant agencies,” Akpabio said at a funeral in Jos. Can we start a countdown to peace in Plateau? Only Plateau?

*ISIGUZO is a major commentator on minor issues