A former Governor of Anambra Stateand presidential candidate Peter Obisays Nigeria’s biggest problem over the years is the failure of leadership.
Mr. Obi said this on Sunday when he appeared in a channel tv show“Political Sunday”.
“A unique and major problem that we have seen essentially affecting Nigeria today is the failure of leadership.
“What we are experiencing now is the cumulative effect of leadership failures over the years,” he said.
The DPP vice-presidential candidate in the 2019 election said that with the current situation in the country, Nigerians yearn for “a leader who has the competence and ability to start genuinely addressing the more internal issues that affect our country, starting from the question of cohesion and unity”.
“We are so divided today as a nation. (We have) the issue of insecurity; the issue of the economy, especially addressing unemployment, which is currently at a level that is not acceptable.
“Dealing with the issue of education, electricity supply, corruption. The list is endless,” she added.
No value in education
Mr. Obi also expressed his sorrow at the closure of universities in the country due to industrial action by the University Academic Staff Union (ASUU).
He said it is unfortunate that politicians are discussing the 2023 election even as Nigerian students are wasting away in their homes due to the strike, adding that the situation was further evidence of the failure of leadership in the country.
“Our universities have been closed for months and we (political leaders) are not even talking about it. Rather, we are talking about the upcoming elections.
“It’s painful. Our children are at home right now where education is the most critical asset for tomorrow,” he added.
He argued that the Nigerian government would have honored the agreements with ASUU if they had placed enough value on education.
ASUU had embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14 and then extended the action for another two months to press its demands, most notably the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU/FG agreement and the sustainability of university autonomy. for deploying UTAS to replace the IPPIS “imposed” by the government.
Other lawsuits include publication of federal university visiting panel reports, distortions in salary payment challenges, funding for revitalization of public universities, earned academic allocation, underfunding of state universities and delays in promotion.