Five Key Points From Peter Obi, Datti’s Interview On Channels Tv Town Hall Series

Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed were live on Channels Television Town Hall series on Sunday to again, explain to Nigerians what they have to offer if elected.

Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, maintained his stand that things will go right in the country if certain groups are engaged in dialogue.

Dealing With Agitation

Obi noted during The Peoples Townhall event on Sunday that if elected, his administration will welcome a round table discussion with all agitators in the country.

He said: “We are in a democratic dispensation; you govern by discussing, you govern by consensus. So, I will sit down and discuss with every agitator without the exception of the name. We must use carrot and stick (approach).

“I will discuss with those who want to discuss. You have to look at what is causing agitations today; it is issues of injustice, issues where there is no fairness, issues to do with power and unemployment.

“When you start to address these issues and you engage them in discussions and you start bringing them to the table, no agitator anywhere in the world will the see the reason that things are going the way they ought to and will continue to agitate because they are agitating for something,” Obi said.

The presidential hopeful insisted that discussion is the best way to end agitations, adding that agitation is not out of place in any democracy.

Obi further argued that even at home, children agitate, but when their parents sit them down and explain things to them, they see reason and eventually agree with them.

He said that Nigeria will continue to be in crisis if the government continues in what he described as injustice, unfairness, poverty, unemployment and young people not knowing where the next meal will come from.

Security

Speaking on how his administration will deal with security challenges in the country if given the chance to Aso Rock, Obi said he will build a broad-based framework to tackle the perennial security challenges across all levels.

He stressed that security personnel would be well motivated to perform their duties optimally as expected.

He said, “for our men and women in the security, we will ensure they are motivated and supported and properly insured and make sure they are confident their families are protected in case something happens to them. All procurement in the Military and other sectors must be transparent. It must be measurable and visible. The days of doing things hidden are gone.

“We need to involve every community in Nigeria in security where each community secures their community and shares information with other communities.

“We have to be alive for the constitution to be amended, not wait for all of us to be dead before doing something. I will use my powers as the President and Commander-in-Chief to secure Nigeria as quickly as possible,” the former Governor of Anambra said.

Obi who promised to exhaust all carrots before bringing the sticks, recounted a personal experience when he visited an Internally Displaced Persons’ camp in Benue state.

He said: “I visited an IDP camp in Benue state. I listened to their issues and told them that if I were the president of Nigeria, ‘I will take your issues personally because as long as you are in IDP camp, Nigeria and Nigerians are in IDP camp.”

Tackling Corruption

On his part, Obi’s running mate, Yusuf Datti who broke down in tears earlier while lamenting the insults on his late father over politics, said he and his principal are both ready to tackle critical areas that would unlock Nigeria’s potential.

Yusuf Datti said: “We will address unprecedented, aggravated corruption. We deserve the votes of Nigerians because this is turning out to be an election based on character backed by records, competence, and capacity.

“Northern Nigeria is paying a massive price today because they have been voting based on ethnic and religious lines for a long time We are going to stop the killings and start the healing; stop the stealing and start the keeping; stop the slide of our currency and start the climb of our society,” he said.

On what informed his decision to join the presidential race, the former Anambra state governor said the desire to see a new Nigeria where citizens would be proud of their country motivated him to seek the people’s support.

“I decided to be part of this race because we want to start turning Nigeria around for Nigerians. We want to build a nation where everyone will be respected,” he said, stressing that any leader who wants Nigeria to succeed must take away his personal interest and that of his friends and groups.

“That is the only way Nigeria can achieve and we are ready to do that,” he assured.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party presidential candidate blamed unnamed government officials for the country’s failure to meet the crude oil sale quota at the international market.

Obi said: “Nigeria is not able to reach the foreign quota of oil sales in the international market because the people in government are enabling the oil theft going on in Nigeria.”

Power Supply

Obi went further to name major areas his administration will address if elected. To address the poor state of the power sector in the country, Obi promised to revive the sector within the first four years in power.

“Within four years in office, we will be able to distribute 20,000 megawatts of electricity to Nigerians, or even more,” he said.

Education

Obi stressed that if given the chance, his government will invest so much in Education, given its relationship with development.

“Education is an investment because the more your people are educated, the more you will see development. Health, Education, and pulling people out of poverty will take top priority in my government,” he said.