In response to President Bola Tinubu’s recent address to the nation, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has issued a statement expressing his disappointment.
Obi, however, expressed gratitude for the belated address but highlighted several areas of the speech lacking reality.
“The President’s address regrettably appeared disconnected from the harsh realities faced by the people and failed to address critical issues that initially triggered the protest.”
He noted that a more timely speech might have prevented the unnecessary loss of innocent lives, including those of security personnel.
Obi criticised the President for not showing empathy towards those who were injured, arrested, and detained during the protests, attributing these actions to the overzealousness and unprofessional conduct of some security operatives.
He emphasised the government’s responsibility to differentiate between criminal elements and genuine protesters exercising their democratic rights.
While he appreciated the President’s condemnation of ethnic bigotry, Obi urged for immediate arrests and prosecutions of individuals responsible for such actions to send a strong message that intolerance will not be tolerated in Nigeria.
Obi criticised the President’s address as being disconnected from the harsh realities faced by Nigerians, stating that it failed to address the critical issues that sparked the protests.
He suggested that either the President’s advisers are out of touch with the scale of public anger and hardship, or there is a deliberate choice to disregard these issues.
He advice the President to distance himself from sycophants and surround himself with individuals who will present the unvarnished truth.
Obi urged on addressing the exorbitant cost of governance, implementing measures to tackle corruption, and directing resources effectively towards critical areas like health, education, and poverty alleviation.
He reiterated the need for a declaration of war on insecurity, poverty, unemployment, and the power sector, and stressed the importance of addressing persistent issues of corruption and mismanagement of public funds.
Obi suggested regular briefings from the President, either quarterly or biannually, to clearly communicate the measures being taken to revive the nation.
He stressed that while Nigerians do not expect overnight solutions, they do expect concerted efforts to address mismanagement of public resources, reduce the high cost of governance, and tackle issues such as insecurity, corruption, electricity, agriculture, and productivity.
Obi urged the President to move beyond reiterating the dire state of the nation, as Nigerians are already acutely aware of the problems.
He reminded the President that his administration was elected to alleviate suffering, not merely to witness protests.
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