Former vice-presidential candidate Peter Obi has appealed to leaders at all levels of government to avoid actions capable of inflicting more hardship on millions of Nigerians, especially in this period that life is manifestly very tough for Nigerians.
Mr Obi spoke when newsmen paid him a visit at Onitsha during the weekend. He lamented that things were going from bad to worse for majority of Nigerians owing to the mindless actions of some leaders.
Speaking specifically on people’s houses being demolished across the country by governments of various states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Obi advised that what those in government should be doing now is to fashion strategies to pull people out of poverty rather than aggravating their misery.
His words: “Much as I agree that some people live in houses that are not under official regulation, Government can, for those that are neither manifestly bad nor causing obstruction, regularise their papers. Even for those that are manifestly bad, now is not a good time to demolish such buildings, without providing alternatives, especially when it is the poor that are always at the receiving end.”
Obi observed that but for cumulative years of bad leadership caused principally by the elite, the situation in the country would not be as bad as it is, compelling the poor and under-privileged to seek survival by any means possible.
He cautioned that the sooner Nigerian leaders realise this dire situation and resolve to build a better country, the better for everybody; “otherwise,” he warned, “the society we abuse today will take its revenge on us in due time.”
He further encouraged Nigerians to always pursue hard work and avoid actions that will result in the breakdown of law and order.
