Former Governor of Anambra and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has said that speaking the truth about Nigeria’s challenges does not amount to unpatriotism, insisting that honest conversations are essential to national rebirth and progress.
Obi made the remark in Abuja while delivering a goodwill message at the 21st All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC), where he urged journalists and editors to lead the charge in confronting Nigeria’s realities rather than defending its failings.
“It is not unpatriotic to tell the truth. It is patriotic to face it. You, the editors, must lead this honest conversation and help politicians like us think differently,” Obi said.
The Labour Party leader decried the worsening state of poverty, education, and healthcare in the country, stressing that denial of the truth would only deepen the crisis.
“People ask me why I say Nigeria is a failed or disgraced state. What else should we call a country where over 130 million people live in poverty, more than India and China combined? We have over 20 million out-of-school children, the highest in the world. We have one of the highest infant mortality rates, seven times higher than India’s. Yet, we worry more about our image than our reality”, he said.
Obi noted that while some recent government policies, including fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, may appear commendable, they cannot succeed in an environment riddled with corruption and wasteful governance.
“You cannot ask the poor to fast while leaders feast. We must end the executive recklessness that drains public resources. We must build institutions, not personalities”, he noted.
Drawing a comparison with global governance standards, Obi cited the example of the Mayor of New York City, who manages a budget three times larger than Nigeria’s yet lives modestly.
“If that mayor rode in two official vehicles, he would be out of office the next day. That is accountability. But here, our priorities are inverted.
We build multi-billion-naira bus terminals while mothers die in childbirth for lack of basic healthcare. Our National Assembly Clinic has a budget larger than six major teaching hospitals combined. How can that be justified?” he said.
The former governor also condemned the growing culture of borrowing for consumption, noting that many of Nigeria’s Eurobond debts will mature decades from now, long after current leaders are gone.
“These debts, maturing in 2048, 2049, and 2051, will be repaid by our children. Yet the funds are not being invested in productive ventures that secure their future,” he warned.
Obi called on Nigerian leaders to prioritize long-term development over political expediency, urging them to “think of the next generation, not the next election.”
He commended the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) for inviting him to the event, describing it as a gesture of inclusivity and a demonstration of the press’s role in strengthening democracy.
“This is the first time I have been invited to this conference, and I am deeply honoured. Democracy thrives on dialogue, not exclusion. Let us build strong institutions, nurture a credible opposition, and restore accountability. Power is transient, but the consequences of our actions will outlive us,” he asserted.
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