Despite the impression held in some quarters that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi is desperate to be a Nigerian President, Obi has reiterated that his interest is not just to be in Aso Rock as President but that his interest is to fix Nigeria, to make it an egalitarian society.
Obi, who spoke during the 16th edition of the Leadership Annual Conference and Awards 2023 where he was honoured the 2023 Politician of the Year Award, faulted the donation of grains to Nigeria by Ukraine.
“I have said it everywhere, I am not desperate to be president of Nigeria. I am desperate to see Nigeria work, and I am desperate to see Nigeria fight poverty.”
Obi argued that Nigeria had no reason to be part of poor countries in the world, especially Northern Nigeria. He added that there was more money in agriculture than oil any day, any time.
“I read yesterday that Ukraine is giving Nigeria grain. Ukraine is at war. The whole of Northern Nigeria is 744, 268,000 square kilometres. Ukraine is 603,000 square kilometres. They have no reason to give us grain because we have the land. Why are they giving us grain? Because 60 percent of their land is cultivated, 60 percent of our own is uncultivated.
“And the people even said it, from the North East. The Governor of Niger State is here. Niger State can feed Nigeria; Niger State can feed Africa. Niger State is occupying 76,300 square kilometres of land. They can feed Nigeria.”
Obi further said the Netherlands, with 33,000 square kilometres, which Niger State is twice its size, exported last year, $125 billion of agricultural products.
“Niger State can do five percent of that which is six billion. They don’t need to come to Abuja.
“North East is collapsing. They said it is a problem in the North East. It shouldn’t be. The two biggest states in the North East, Borno and Taraba combined, Borno alone is over 70,000 square kilometres. Taraba is 54,000. Two of them combined is 125,000 square kilometres, four times the size of Belgium at 30,000 square kilometres and Belgium is doing over $20 billion export.
“There is so much we can do with this country. Let people stop wasting everybody’s time and put these young people that are giving everybody problems, in terms of bringing them out of poverty and you reduce criminality. The more you pull people out of poverty, the more you reduce criminality. People make it look difficult. Let’s invest in the north. We have what it takes to make Nigeria, let’s do it now,” Obi stated.
