By Ayo Ayodele
Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has urged Nigerians not to lose hope despite the country’s present economic and security challenges, insisting that “a new Nigeria is still possible.”
In a statement marking Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary on Tuesday, Obi lamented that the nation, once predicted to become Africa’s first true superpower, has been derailed by decades of failed leadership, particularly under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“On 1 October 1960, Nigeria gained independence to global acclaim as an emerging African economic and political power,” Obi recalled, noting that the vision of the founding fathers has been undermined by corruption, incompetence, and mismanagement.
He pointed to Nigeria’s sharp economic decline, saying that from a national debt of just N2.5 trillion in 2007, the country now owes about N175 trillion, nearly 50 percent of its GDP, without corresponding development. Once Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria has fallen behind South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria.
Obi accused the APC-led government of pursuing anti-people policies, over-taxing struggling citizens while spending billions on luxury projects. He condemned the N25 billion renovation of the Vice President