Dare Babalola
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has attributed Nigeria’s worsening insecurity to collective leadership failures, stressing the need for accountable governance and decisive action to address the nation’s security challenges.
In a statement on Monday, Obi decried the collapsed security in Nigeria, stating that the country is bleeding because those elected to protect the nation have chosen comfort over courage, politics over people, and power over purpose
He expressed concern over what he described as an “unprecedented negative news” recorded across Nigeria within 10 days.
“The past 10 days in Nigeria have witnessed unprecedented negative news, a level of chaos, insecurity, and institutional decay that should trouble the conscience of all the leaders.
“Our country is now going through troubling times, not by fate, but by our collective leadership failures that allow insecurity, lawlessness, and institutional decay to thrive.
“Each day confronts us with a new tragedy and a new reminder that our beloved country is drifting amid a clear absence of competent, compassionate, responsive, and responsible leadership.
“We have all watched a nation blessed with people of strength and resilience drift into avoidable disorder,” he said.
He listed a series of violent incidents across the country, including the “killing of a Brigadier General, the abduction of 64 civilians in Zamfara, the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi, the attack on worshippers in Kwara, the abduction of over 300 schoolchildren and teachers in Niger and others.
Obi also mentioned the fresh attack on female farmers in Borno, saying, “I received yet another devastating report about the abduction of 13 female farmers in Askira-Uba LGA of Borno State today by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.”
The former Anambra governor continued, “No serious nation survives on excuses, indifference, or absentee leadership. What we are witnessing is not inevitable, it is the direct consequence of us leaders not valuing human life. Nigeria is bleeding because those elected to protect the nation have chosen comfort over courage, politics over people, and power over purpose.
“We the leaders must remember that governance is not a title, it is a duty to protect every child, every community, and every citizen. We need competence, compassion, and a government that shows up when it matters the most.
“To every Nigerian shaken in these past 10 days, my heart is with you. You deserve safety, you deserve peace. We deserve a government that values our lives above politics. Nigeria must rise again,” he posted on X.
