By John Alechenu
ABUJA: The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has stated that the ongoing surge in reported cases of violence cannot be divorced from the failure of leadership.
He noted that no serious nation survives on a cocktail of excuses, indifference or absentee leadership.
Obi stated this after a review of the nationwide security situation over the last 10 days, in a post titled “Is Nigeria cursed, or are we the curse?” on his X handle.
The former Amambra State Governor said, “The past 10 days in Nigeria have witnessed unprecedented negative news, a level of chaos, insecurity, and institutional decay that should trouble the conscience of all the leaders.
“Our country is now going through troubling times, not by fate, but by our collective leadership failures that allow insecurity, lawlessness, and institutional decay to thrive.
“Each day confronts us with a new tragedy and a new reminder that our beloved country is drifting amid a clear absence of competent, compassionate, responsive and responsible leadership.
“We have all watched a nation blessed with people of strength and resilience drift into avoidable disorder. We should be asking ourselves: Are we cursed, or are we the curse?”
According to him, the past 10 days began with the story of the kidnapping of six senior directors from the Ministry of Defence along the Kogi axis.
This, he said, reminded us that even those tasked with securing our nation are no longer safe. Then came the news of the brutal execution of a Brigadier General by terrorists.
As if that was not depressing enough, the news of the kidnapping of over 400 citizens, including 300 school children from their schools in various raids, put Nigeria on the global bad news map.
Amidst all these, Obi said, “During the All Nigeria Judges’ Conference, judges who should embody neutrality and integrity were seen standing as the APC partisan song ‘On Your Mandate We Shall Stand’ played ahead of the President’s address.
“This troubling moment further eroded public trust in institutions expected to protect the rule of law.
“And just as I was speaking about this, I received yet another devastating report about the abduction of 13 female farmers in Askira-Uba LGA of Borno State today by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP Terrorists,” Obi added.
He went on to say, “No serious nation survives on excuses, indifference, or absentee leadership. What we are witnessing is not inevitable, it is the direct consequence of we the leaders not valuing human life.
“Nigeria is bleeding because those elected to protect the nation have chosen comfort over courage, politics over people, and power over purpose.”
According to him, leaders must remember that governance is not a title; it is a duty to protect all citizens with competence and compassion.
Nigeria, he said, deserves safety, peace and a government that values our lives above politics.
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