As the country marks the 60th Anniversary of her Independence, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 election, Peter Obi, has described it as an opportunity for Nigerians to ask themselves some fundamental questions about the factors that had continued to regress and stagnate the nation, stating that an unexamined life is not worth living.
In a message to mark the 60th Anniversary Celebration of Nigeria’s Independence, Obi lamented the many opportunities for national development which were wasted over the years. He regretted that Nigeria had continued to remain under developed regardless of the abundance of human and natural resources with which it was blessed. He said it was worrisome that after 60 years of nationhood, over 90 million Nigerians still lived under poverty, with over 15 million out-of-school children still uncertain about their future.
Obi blamed the challenges facing the nations to, among others, accumulated years of leadership failure. He decried the level of political irresponsibility and abuse of office that had continued to plague every level of government in the nation. He said such mismanagement of public funds and economic carelessness had continued to worsen Nigeria’s debt profile and economic outlook, plunging the economy into more depression.
“We can still get it right if we take accountable governance more seriously and take more responsible decisions in our national matters. We must stop the wastage that has plunged us into debts and begin to make better plans for ourselves and the future. Let us stand on the unity that comes from our ethnic diversity and build a better nation we can be proud of,” Obi advised.
He urged Nigerians to use the occasion to make new resolutions of better commitment to the progress of the country and ensure more generous contributions to the development of the nation. He reminded all that Nigeria belonged to everyone and it was everyone’s responsibility to share in the blames of past failures, with a call to Nigerians to place round pegs in round holes at all levels of government.
Obi called for more prayers, that God will help the country overcome the challenges facing her, ranging from poverty, insecurity, unemployment, corruption and other ills that have continued to threaten Nigerians and Nigeria’s peaceful co-existence.
