Only competent leadership 'll save Nigeria’s future - Peter Obi

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By Madu Obi

The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi has asserted that a nation’s destiny is inseparable from the integrity and vision of its leaders, arguing that only competent leadership will save Nigeria's future.

Speaking at America's Johns Hopkins University on the topic, “Politics and Change in Nigeria,” at the invitation of Professor Peter Lewis, the author of “Growing Apart: Comparing Indonesia and Nigeria,” Obi maintained that without competent, capable and compassionate political leadership with integrity, the effort to drive the county to sustainable growth and development might be difficult to achieve.

Drawing on 35 years of comparative data, Obi noted that in 1990, four nations - Nigeria, China, Vietnam and Indonesia - fell into the “medium” category of the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI), adding that while China, Vietnam and Indonesia have each advanced to the “high” HDI bracket, Nigeria has slipped into the “low” category.

He also highlighted stark contrasts in per-capita wealth of the four nations. He said: “In 1990, Nigeria’s GDP per capita stood at $556, outpacing China’s $317 and Vietnam’s mere $99. By 2025, however, Nigeria’s per-capita income is just one-fifth of Indonesia’s $5,000 and Vietnam’s $4,400 and less than one-tenth of China’s $13,000.”

Obi pointed out that Nigeria had the fewest people classified as poor, about 50 million, among the four countries in 1990, compared with China’s 750 million, Indonesia’s 85 million and Vietnam’s 60 million, but today, Nigeria has more poor people than China, Indonesia and Vietnam combined.

“Why have these nations succeeded where we have faltered?” he asked, noting that "the difference is that these countries have invested decisively in education, healthcare and poverty reduction under leaders of unwavering character and capacity.”

Obi declared that for Nigeria to solve its many problems, its next generation of leaders must make the welfare and upliftment of all the citizens a priority.