The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi has charged Nigerians to learn from criticisms about the country, rather than vilifying the critics.
Obi gave the charge in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, explaining that negative remarks about Nigeria should spark positive change.
He wrote: “What should we make of all the negative remarks about Nigeria? Recently, Nigerian-born Kemi Badenoch, a leader in the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, took a serious swipe at our dear country.
“She stated that she would not want Britain to become like poor Nigeria, where a failed government destroys lives. Nigerians have had mixed reactions to her comments—some have criticized her, while others feel she simply stated the obvious and should not be vilified.
“A few years ago, a respected Nigerian newspaper lamented an informational piece aimed at Americans intending to visit Nigeria, which described the country in very unflattering terms. The travel advisory highlighted two major challenges: poor infrastructure and insecurity.”
The politician noted that anyone familiar with the country’s situation knows that Nigeria’s performance in the two areas is horrendously low, and sadly, the US embassy did not shy away from pointing it out.
“On health, the advisory confirmed that while Nigeria has well-trained health professionals, the country is lacking in quality healthcare facilities.
“It was noted that essential medications, including those for diabetes and hypertension, are often unavailable, and that medicine should be purchased with extreme caution due to counterfeit risks.”
According to him, five years after the remarks, the situation remains largely unchanged, if not worse.
The former Anambra Governor stressed that international reproach, such as that from Badenoch, and negative reviews on official websites warning citizens of the country, should serve as a challenge to do better, maintaining that it is not enough to resort to blind patriotism by vilifying those who point out the nation’s shortcomings.
He added: “Instead, we should use these criticisms as a catalyst to prioritize critical areas of development and improve the lives of our people.
“When negative remarks are featured on a country’s official websites, warning citizens to avoid certain risks, how can we expect to attract investors? These painful rebukes, including those coming from our own, should push us to strive for a new Nigeria that is possible.”
