Peter Obi Speaks On What His Administration Will Do To Seperatists

Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s nominee for president, has provided some insight into how, if elected on February 25, he intends to address the hydra-headed problems that Nigeria is currently confronting in the areas of security, healthcare delivery, the economy, and the education sector.

Obi spoke who spoke during The Peoples Townhall, an event organised by Channels Television in conjunction with several of its partners in Abuja.

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The LP candidate declared that his administration would use a carrot and stick strategy to address the security issue that separatist agitations come under.

He clarified that by doing this, he meant first utilising dialogue to appease the resentful parties and then, if necessary, using the military option to preserve Nigerian lives and property.

Obi said: “We are in a democratic dispensation; you govern by discussing, you govern by consensus. So, I will sit down and discuss with every agitator without exception of name. We must use carrot and stick (approach).

“I will discuss with those who want to discuss. You have to look at what is causing agitations today; it is issues of injustice, issues of where there is no fairness, issues to do with poverty, unemployment.

“When you start to address these issues and you engage them in discussions and you start bringing them to the table, no agitator anywhere in the world will see reason that things are going the way they ought to and will continue to agitate because they are agitating for something.”

The LP candidate defended his positions by stating that talking to these individuals is still the best way to understand the causes of these agitations and come up with long-lasting solutions.

He maintained that when people perceive a clear commitment on the part of the government to do the right thing, no agitator would continue with his or her agitation anywhere in the globe.

The LP standard bearer emphasized that agitation in and of itself was not inappropriate in any democracy, noting that children even agitate at home, but when their parents sit them down and explain things in a way they can understand, they see reason and eventually come around to their point of view.

If the government goes down the route of injustice, unfairness, poverty, unemployment, and young people not knowing where their next meal would come from, he claimed, Nigeria will remain in a state of crisis.

Obi also discussed how to address the problem of corruption in the military’s procurement system.

He pledged to bring the various security agencies in Nigeria together in answer to a query on the matter and what appeared to be a lack of coordination among them.

According to him, “We will bring them together and make sure there is clear authority and when there is any failure, I will deal with it decisively.”

On the issue of procurement in the military, he said: “All procurements must be transparent. I assure you there will be nothing done under the table.”

He stated that he would draw on his previous experience as governor of Anambra State to work with regular security services and community leaders at all levels to secure their surroundings in order to combat the recent wave of kidnappings across the nation.

He claims that, “In Anambra, we had 180 communities, we set up security outfits in each of them, bought them vehicles and communications equipment.

“When something happens in one community, other communities get information within minutes. I hold community leaders responsible for whatever happens in their domain and this worked.”

On a national level, he pledged to improve security personnel’s welfare by appropriately inspiring and supporting them, as well as their families, to enable them to accept risks for the country.

Under his leadership, he asserted, borrowing for consumption will become obsolete for the economy. He insisted that although a country like Japan was one of the world’s biggest borrowers at the time, its debt was manageable due to its strong exports and reserves.

Responding to the seemingly intractable problem of providing power for Nigeria’s growing population, Obi said: “I don’t think that power (problem) is stubborn, it is the people who are trying to solve it that are not doing the right thing.”

He told GENGOs and DISCOS that his administration would see to it that the contracts were carried out and would not revoke any current ones.

Obi also pledged to separate the transmission lines and aid Gencos in fulfilling their obligations.

Within four years, he guaranteed that at least 40 megawatts of electricity will be produced.

He said: “If South Africa declared an emergency in power, we will declare war.”

The LP candidate added that given Nigeria’s size in terms of both population and area, we have no business being underdeveloped.

He claimed that whereas Nigeria had a population of 200 million and made a pitiful $30 billion from oil exports despite having a population of 100 million, Vietnam made $350 billion from exports of its goods last year.

He committed to setting a good example for other government officials by doing so. Obi reasoned that when the head is not a thief, others below will follow in his footsteps and refrain from stealing since they are aware that there will be consequences if they do.

Obi declared that health insurance would be strengthened to give the populace security. He insisted that in a practical health insurance system, the very poor pay first thing in the morning and the wealthy pay in accordance with their income.

Abolishing ongoing strikes in the country’s public schools with policies that have the support of all parties was another pledge he made.