Labour Party former Presidential candidate and a Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi, has described January as a “distressing” month for Nigeria.
Obi cited worsening insecurity, prolonged school closures, power grid failures, misplaced government priorities as reasons for such claim.
In a new month post made on his X page, the former Anambra State governor said January exposed the level of challenges confronting the country currently and might signal difficult months ahead.
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Insecurity according to him surged across several parts of the country in January, with reports of killings and hundreds of kidnappings and abductions involving children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers, which were most times accompanied by millions of naira ransom demands.
“Insecurity has surged alarmingly across the nation. In just January, we saw reports of several killings, hundreds of kidnappings and abductions that include children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers with the abductors demanding millions. Farmers remain unable to return to their farms plagued by ongoing insecurity which exacerbates food shortages and rural poverty,” he said.
Obi further noted that many farmers were unable to return to their farms for fear of insecurity, worsening food shortages and deepening rural poverty.
On education, Obi laments continuous neglect of a sector he described as the critical pillar of national development.
“Education stands as a cornerstone of national development, yet countless children remain out of school and those in school cannot attend because of insecurity or teachers’ strikes,” he added.
He decried the number of out-of-school children while others are being unable to attend classes due to insecurity and ongoing teachers’ strikes, particularly in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
On power supply, Obi lamented the power grid collapse that occured twice in January which according to him, further disrupted economic and social activities.
Obi also questioned the foreign trips embarked upon by the President, Bola Tinubu during the period.
He noted that the president spent 23 days outside the country in January on two separate trips while the country battled unresolved domestic challenges.
