Obi criticised the newly approved national minimum wage of N70,000, stating that it was useless, as it could not afford a bag of rice or half a bag of beans.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed deep concerns over Nigeria's worsening political, economic and security situation.
In his New Year message delivered on Thursday, Obi emphasised that despite the government's claims of improvement, the country remains one of the world's poverty capitals, with over 100million people living in extreme poverty and 150million in multi-dimensional poverty.
Obi criticised the newly approved national minimum wage of N70,000, stating that it was useless, as it could not afford a bag of rice or half a bag of beans.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to reduce the cost of governance and allocate resources to critical areas like security, health, education, and poverty alleviation.
The former Anambra State governor also stressed the need for a visible and aggressive approach to combating corruption, ensuring proper investigations and recoveries of missing funds.
He advocated for increased transparency and accountability in public procurement and contract award processes.
Furthermore, Obi advised the government to tie future borrowing to regenerative investments and productive assets that benefit the nation, rather than accumulating massive debt with no tangible returns.
He also appealed to President Tinubu to dedicate more time to visiting Nigeria's 36 states to better understand the economic and security challenges facing the country.
"While addressing past corrupt activities, we must ensure proper investigations and recoveries related to missing funds or their sources," he said.
"The focus should be on eliminating current and future official malfeasance through increased transparency and accountability in public procurement and contract award processes, as well as thorough monitoring of execution to ensure that limited resources are efficiently utilised and applied productively."
He added, "All future borrowing must be tied to regenerative investments and visible, productive assets that benefit the nation. This will ensure both productivity and the ability to service and amortise such loans, rather than continuing the current practice of accumulating massive debt with no tangible returns, which places undue strain on future development revenue.
"Mr. President, out of the approximately 580 days you have been in office, it is reported that you have spent over 30% or around 180 days, on more than 30 publicly recorded overseas trips.
"My appeal is that you dedicate at least 20% of 2025 – roughly 72 days – to visit each of Nigeria’s 36 states for two days each. As President, such visits would give you the opportunity to better understand the dire economic and security situations across the country.
"Furthermore, it is time for you to visit our national hospitals. Consider, for example, that your next medical examination be conducted at one of our National Hospitals or Regional Federal Medical Centres, such as the FMC in Sokoto or Birnin Kebbi or Calabar or Umuahia or Akure, among others. This will allow you to assess the state of healthcare facilities available to Nigerians. It will also help you understand the condition of our hospitals and clinics, enabling you to make informed decisions on how to upgrade and make them efficient.
"Endeavour to travel by road to observe the condition of most highways. You can take short trips, for example, from Calabar in Cross River State to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, a distance of less than 100 km, or from Benin in Edo State to Warri in Delta State. I recall taking President Olusegun Obasanjo on a trip from Awka to Onitsha on a federal highway when I was the Governor of Anambra State.
"That journey prompted him to immediately approve the reconstruction of parts of the road by the Anambra State government, with subsequent reimbursement by the federal government. Such actions are immensely valuable.
"Make both impromptu and planned visits to our tertiary institutions, where our children and future leaders are being trained, are essential to familiarise yourself with the available infrastructure, facilities, and amenities. These visits will provide valuable insight into whether the resources of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) are being utilised optimally and what is needed to sustain the education system.
"I recall President Shagari visiting the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, when I was a student there and telling us, ‘I have seen the facilities myself, and I assure you of my intervention.’ Institutional facilities improved significantly thereafter.
"As Commander-in-Chief, visit our military formations and security agencies, especially during their field operations, and provide them with morale-boosting assurances and support for operational efficiency. Reiterate that they and their families will always be taken care of.
"Mr. President, many Nigerians are ‘refugees’ and ‘exiles’ in their own country. Visit various IDP camps and assure these Nigerians that they will soon return to their communities, and that you are working hard to restore peace and normalcy to the country. Nigeria is not a war-torn nation. The proliferation of IDP camps is a troubling sign.
"As President, you are no longer the Governor of Lagos State; therefore, consider spending your holidays in different parts of the country. Let your next Sallah, Easter, and Christmas holidays be spent in places like Adamawa, Sokoto, Jos, Akure, Yenagoa, or Abakaliki, among others."
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