Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has strongly criticised the rising levels of corruption, insecurity, and poverty across Nigeria, warning that the country is gradually accepting conditions that should never be considered normal.
Speaking on Wednesday in Enugu State during his defection from the Labour Party (LP) to the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC), Obi said Nigeria is facing a deepening crisis fueled by poor governance and misplaced priorities.
According to him, looting of public funds occurs at every level of government, while insecurity has become a daily reality for citizens.
“There is looting of public funds from the top to the bottom. Insecurity is the order of the day. People can no longer sleep with their eyes closed,” Obi said.
He added that poverty has penetrated deeply into the lives of average Nigerians, stressing that the country must stop treating abnormal situations as normal.
“Poverty has eaten deep into the life of every average Nigerian. We can no longer allow normalising what is not normal,” he said.
Obi argued that meaningful change can only happen through unity of purpose, questioning the government’s focus on taxation amid mass unemployment.
“How can you tax people who are unemployed? We have over 30 million people living in multidimensional poverty and about 80 million young Nigerians without jobs, yet we’re talking about tax,” he stated.
