Nigeria would continue to be an IDP camp as long as Nigerians are forced to evacuate their homes and live there, according to Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party.
Yesterday in Abuja, following the introduction of Prof. Akin Osuntokun as the new director general of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Obi responded to questions from journalists by stating that the foundation of his aspiration was his conviction that Nigerians deserved better leadership than what they were currently receiving.
He said:-
“We are trying to build a better Nigeria. Over this period, I have been traveling, I have been in various states visiting people in difficult positions, living in IDP camps.
“If Nigerians are made to leave their homes and live in IDP camps, then Nigeria as a country is an IDP camp because these are Nigerians that should be in their homes.
“The purpose of government is to care for its citizens and the first line of care is the less privileged, government takes care of the less privileged people.
“My commitment is to ensure that every Nigerian sleeps and wakes up feeling proud to be a Nigerian and not live in an IDP camp.”
When asked about the most recent prediction by THISDAY Newspaper that put him at a disadvantage compared to the other competitors, Obi said: “Projection is different from (opinion) polls. A poll is when you ask actual people, a projection is when you imagine, they are two different things.”
He expressed his belief that Nigerian youths, whom he characterized as hardworking and resourceful, were determined this time to work with elders who shared his progressive outlook to retake the country and make it work for everyone.
He asserts that young people in Nigeria are not idle; rather, they were merely searching for chances to compete favorably with their peers on the international scene.
He said the kind of leadership he and his group were providing Nigerians would make such ambitions come true.
He has earlier clarified that removing Okupe as Campaign DG did not result in a shift in tactics.
He stated that the party’s pledge to retake Nigeria from the forces that have left it in ruins is still part of its campaign strategy.
