By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the Nigeria’s 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi has denounced poor leadership in Africa, accusing leaders of turning the continent into a gigantic criminal enterprise.
Obi, who lost the legal battle to reclaim what he called his “mandate” at the presidential election petition tribunal and later Supreme Court, came third in the February 25, 2023 poll that produced Bola Tinubu as President, while Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second, according to result announced by the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a statement issued on Saturday by his media aide, Michael Jude Nwolisa, Mr. Obi a former Governor of Anambra State South East Nigeria, argued that the accumulated salaries of a professor for 30 years cannot buy a Nigerian legislator’s official vehicle.
Obi, who spoke at the 12th Zik Annual Lecture Series in Awka, Anambra State capital, at the weekend insists that the problem of Africa, and indeed Nigeria, rests squarely on leadership, adding that unless it is tackled the continent will not move forward.
The welfare of university academic staff in Nigeria has consistently been called to question, with consistent industrial action in a bid to press for an enhanced welfare package.
In 2022, the body of public university lecturers, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarked on a strike that lasted for eight months, disrupting academic activities across government-owned universities across the West African nation.
Amidst growing inflation and poverty in the country, Nigeria’s National Assembly had recently announced plan to spend N40bn on 465 exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials, and N70bn as ‘palliatives’ for new members.
“If you are employed in a university, and you work hard for several years, you will hopefully become a professor. A professor in a standard Nigerian university earns N400,000 per month. If you earn that amount for 30 years without spending a dime from it, your accumulated salary will amount to N144 million, which is not up to the amount we use to buy a car for a legislator in Nigeria. That is the problem we are facing in Nigeria.
“Over 36 federal universities where we have over 10,000 professors, over 40,000 workers, and over a million students receive overhead funds of less than N4.5 billion annually. This total overhead amount is not even up to what the federal government has allocated for the acquisition of a presidential yacht,” Obi explained.
Obi urged African leaders to end the continous complain about colonialism, and alleged exploitation by Western powers without addressing their own challenges, faulting the claim by a former President of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Hilda Banda, that Africa’s under-development was caused by the Western colonisation of Africa.
He challenged Africa to look inward and tackle the leadership challenges contending with its development.
“Yes, we were colonised many decades back, but today it is African leaders who have turned Africa into a gigantic criminal enterprise.”
Obi lamented the high level of corruption and mindless looting of public funds by the leaders, who do not care for the welfare of the people, are part of the criminal setup that needs to be dismantled.
Earlier in her speech, the former President of Malawi, Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Hilda Banda urged African leaders to always be frugal and prudent in the handling of public resources, knowing that such resources must be used for the benefit of the people.
