I’m not thinking of 2023 elections – Peter Obi
The former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, Friday, said that he is preoccupied with the thought of a better Nigeria, not how to win political elections in 2023.
According to a report by Vanguard, Obi, said that he wants to see a Nigerian society where all the sectors of the economy are functioning effectively to liberate the people from the shackles of underdevelopment and poverty sending most Nigerians to their early graves.
He spoke as a special guest of honour during the 80th birthday celebration of the father of African Philosophy, Prof. Uzodinma Nwala, at the Princess Alexandra Auditorium, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN.
He said that Prof. Nwala’s scholarly prowess should be emulated and celebrated in order to position the country on the path of knowledge-based economy for rapid development.
He equally pledged to help the Department of Philosophy, UNN, where he graduated from establish a research centre on African Philosophy.
“Nigerians are always preoccupied by elections, I am not that type of politician. Politics for me is not about winning elections and being in office. For me, it is about building a better society. We are in a society where people don’t know where the next meal will come from but we are not discussing that. We are in a society today where poor businesses cannot get diesel to do their businesses, unfortunately, nobody is discussing that. We are in a society where our universities have been shut down for months, nobody is discussing that. These are the things I want to discuss, not 2023 elections.
“Elections can come when we have dealt with the issues that are bewildering us. I want to see our universities functional and our children back to classrooms. I want to see food on the tables of poor people in the villages. I want to see steady power supply so that our businesses can thrive,” he said.
While talking about Prof. Nwala, he also said “Prof. Nwala, remains one of those scholars that should be celebrated and emulated in Nigeria, unfortunately, we live in a country where people don’t celebrate knowledge, ideas, scholarship. This is the bane of the country because the world is driven by knowledge. We are in a knowledge economy and development. Nigeria does not appreciate knowledge, that is why we are not investing in education. That’s why we are not doing well.
“For me as a student who passed through the tutelage of Prof. Nwala, I remain his son and I celebrate him everyday,” he said.
