Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has expressed deep concern over the worsening state of the country, saying no one can genuinely claim to be happy in Nigeria amid rising poverty, insecurity, and daily hardship.
Speaking at an event in a viral video, the former Anambra governor said his focus has never been personal ambition but the urgent need to fix Nigeria.
“No matter what anyone tells you about politics or my presidential ambition, I am not desperate to be president. I am desperate to see Nigeria work. Anybody can be president; that is not the issue. Nigeria is not working for anyone today. If it were working, it would be working for everybody. And if it is not working, then it is not working for anyone,” he said.
He dismissed claims by anyone who says the country is working for them, insisting such statements ignore the reality faced by millions of Nigerians.
“Anyone who tells you it is working for him is lying. And anyone who says he is happy in Nigeria today is not a human being but an animal. Nobody can truly be happy when people around you are suffering. Nobody is happy when people are dying every day. Nobody is happy when you wake up to bad news all the time,” Obi stated.
According to him, Nigeria’s challenges go beyond politics and have become a matter of survival for citizens.
“That is why I say this is an existential problem. For those of us in public life, it is even more painful because we are suffering in the midst of plenty. Nigeria, and Africa as a whole, have no reason to be poor. God, in His infinite mercy, gave us everything we need to be great,” he said.
Obi also took responsibility alongside other leaders, admitting that political leadership has failed the people.
“But God also gave us people like me, leaders who are sometimes incompetent, selfish, and unwilling to work for the people. And I mean all of us. No politician should be excluded. We have turned the country into a crime scene, where people steal what they do not need,” he added.
He stressed that his comments are based on personal experience in government.
“I say this authoritatively because I have served. So no one should say Peter Obi is talking about what he does not know. I know. And it is important that people understand this,” he said.
Peter Obi’s comments come as Nigeria faces growing frustration over rising insecurity and worsening living conditions.
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