Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, has said that opinions pointing out the shortcomings of Nigeria should be used to prioritise development decisions and policies in the country as against the practice of vilifying those who express such views.
“It’s not enough to resort to blind patriotism by vilifying those who point out our shortcomings.
“Instead, we should use these criticisms as a catalyst to prioritise critical areas of development and improve the lives of our people”, Obi posted on his X handle on Tuesday.
He cited some examples, including the recent remarks by the Leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, all who criticised the Nigeria over some of its failings and raising concerns over the urgent needs to improve the welfare of Nigerians.
Obi noted that in spite of the fact that some of the views and suggestions offered by the critics dated years back, the country had not made much progress in terms of applying corrections.
He wrote, “Recently, Nigerian-born Kemi Badenoch, a leader in the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, took a serious swipe at our dear country.
“She stated that she would not want Britain to become like poor Nigeria, where a failed government destroys lives.
“Nigerians have had mixed reactions to her comments—some have criticized her, while others feel she simply stated the obvious and should not be vilified.
“A few years ago, a respected Nigerian newspaper lamented an informational piece aimed at Americans intending to visit Nigeria, which described the country in very unflattering terms.
“The travel advisory highlighted two major challenges: poor infrastructure and insecurity.
“Anyone familiar with the Nigerian landscape knows that our performance in these two areas is horrendously low. And sadly, the US embassy did not shy away from pointing this out.
“On health, the advisory confirmed that while Nigeria has well-trained health professionals, the country is lacking in quality healthcare facilities. “It was noted that essential medications,
including those for diabetes and hypertension, are often unavailable, and that medicine should be purchased with extreme caution due to counterfeit risks.
“Five years after those remarks, the situation remains largely unchanged, if not worse. International reproach, such as that from Badenoch, and negative reviews on official websites warning citizens of the country, should serve as a challenge for us to do better.
“It’s not enough to resort to blind patriotism by vilifying those who point out our shortcomings.”
Obi recommended, “When negative remarks are featured on a country’s official websites, warning citizens to avoid certain risks, how can we expect to attract investors?
“These painful rebukes, including those coming from our own, should push us to strive for a new Nigeria that is possible.”
