Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, on Wednesday refuted claims of being fixated on replacing President Bola Tinubu as the next president.
Obi came under fire a few days ago after he faulted the Federal Government’s timing and prioritisation of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.
The LP presidential candidate advised the government to concentrate on fixing bad roads across Nigeria instead of striving to construct a white elephant project like the major coastal road.
But some critics trolled him on social media, saying he does not see anything good in what the current administration does because of his desperation to become the president in 2027.
Few also questioned whether the former Anambra governor has the vision and capacity to change things if he eventually becomes president.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, Obi expressed his disappointment, stressing that some people often shy away from discussing pressing issues plaguing the country.
He said, “We live in a system where public officeholders and politicians are only seen during elections. I can tell you that it is an everyday job. I have said it several times that I am not desperate to become the president of Nigeria. But I am desperate to see the poor and less privileged Nigerians being pulled out of their difficult situation daily.
“That is what I am desperate to see. And all of us can do it as well. You can’t even be happy or fulfilled when several million (Nigerians) don’t know where the next meal will come from. When I see children suffering, it increases my pain. This is not about campaign.”
Obi also disclosed that if he were to become president, he would do things differently by focusing on repairing existing roads as opposed to approving contracts for new ones.
While analyzing how deplorable some major highways, such as Lagos-Badagry and Kano-Kaduna, have become, the politician insisted that those projects should be the priority of any serious government.
“If I were to be the president of Nigeria today, nobody would think of any new road until we finish the existing ones. In this country, we are always trying to do things anyhow. Today, you can’t move from Lagos to Badagry, a short period of fewer than 100 kilometres. It has been under construction for several years. Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has also not been completed for several years.
The same thing applies to the Kano-Kaduna, Kano-Maiduguri and Sokoto-Funtua. I can even show you the state of all the roads from Kaduna to Abuja. In Kaduna bypass alone, you can queue for hours. You can’t even drive comfortably from Abuja to Okene to Auchi and Benin. It is almost impossible.
“These are roads that already exist and have been in dire need of repairs for years. That is where we need to put our resources and deal with it. We already have a network of roads that need fixing. Why are people introducing things when the existing ones are in bad shape?
“When I was governor of Anambra State, I started by completing the roads started by my predecessor before thinking of doing new ones. For me, this is the critical area that needs attention and that is where I will concentrate,” he said
