Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has advised President Bola Tinubu to lead by example and cut the cost of governance, which he acknowledged was currently on the high side.
He said that by frequent international travel in 2024, government officials wilfully misappropriated state cash.
During a news conference on the state of the country in Abuja on Thursday morning, the former governor of Anambra State made this statement.
According to Obi, Tinubu should tour national educational institutions and use nearby hospitals to gauge the state of improvement in the country’s healthcare and education systems.
Obi said the level of corruption in Nigeria remained high, just as the cost of governance, which he said has led to an astronomical increase in public debt under the current administration. He said borrowings must be tied to projects that would bring development to the country as against the current template of borrowing for consumption.
According to the LP chieftain, the president needs to occasionally take a road trip to observe the appalling condition of public roads. Obi described how, in his capacity as governor of Anambra State, he drove President Olusegun Obasanjo from Awka to Onitsha, which resulted in the road’s contract being awarded.
Since the new minimum wage has not addressed the nation’s food crisis, Obi denounced the widespread poverty that has caused swarms for palliatives in some areas.
He also called the security situation in the country unfortunate, saying Nigerians die needlessly due to banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping.
In order to feel the suffering of the people, he said Tinubu should realize that he is no longer the governor of Lagos State and spend the holidays in other regions of the nation.
According to Obi, the tax reform proposals need to be carefully discussed. He argued that taxes should be based on productivity and that if the majority of Nigerians are impoverished, the government should make the country more productive before imposing taxes on its citizens.
