Kasie Abone, Awka
National Democratic Congress NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi has said Nigeria possesses the human and natural resources needed to attain sustainable development, stressing that the country’s major challenge is the absence of competent, honest and purposeful leadership.
Obi stated this while participating as a guest and panellist alongside other presidential candidates and their representatives at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), held at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The session, which focused on rebuilding Nigeria and making the country work for its citizens, provided an opportunity for the participants to canvass ideas on how to address the nation’s economic and developmental challenges.
Obi attributed the widespread poverty and hunger in the country largely to years of mismanagement, corruption and poor utilisation of public resources.
He argued that Nigeria, endowed with vast human and natural resources, should not be struggling with extreme poverty, food insecurity and unemployment.
“With our vast human and natural resources, Nigeria has no business being associated with extreme poverty and hunger,” Obi said, stressing that the country had no justification for importing food despite its enormous agricultural potential.
The former Anambra State governor identified agriculture as one of the sectors capable of transforming the Nigerian economy, creating millions of jobs and generating substantial foreign exchange if backed by appropriate policies, investment and political will.
He particularly pointed to the vast agricultural potential of Northern Nigeria, noting that the region’s expansive arable land could serve as a major driver of food production and economic transformation.
According to him, Nigeria could emulate countries with fewer natural resources that have successfully developed their agricultural sectors.
“If countries with fewer resources have transformed their agricultural sectors, Nigeria can feed itself, create millions of jobs, and export food to the world,” he said.
On fuel subsidy removal, Obi maintained the position he canvassed during the 2023 presidential election, arguing that the subsidy regime had been undermined by widespread corruption.
He said his preferred approach would have been to first eliminate the corruption associated with the system, establish the actual cost of the subsidy and thereafter implement a carefully planned and phased removal.
Obi further argued that savings accruing from subsidy removal should be transparently channelled into clearly defined and measurable development priorities, including agriculture, healthcare, education, poverty reduction and national security.
He stressed that the removal of subsidy should ultimately improve the welfare of Nigerians, rather than expose citizens to higher energy and transportation costs without corresponding improvements in their living conditions.
The presidential candidate said Nigeria’s development priorities should include food security, quality healthcare, education, infrastructure, human capital development, security and national unity.
He maintained that with the right leadership and prudent management of resources, Nigeria could overcome its present challenges and unlock its enormous economic potential.
“Nigeria has all it needs to prosper. What remains is competent, honest, and purposeful leadership that puts the common good above personal interests,” Obi said.
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