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Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has promised Nigerians tangible changes within his first year in office if elected president in 2027.
Obi made the pledge in his Independence Day address on Thursday, saying his administration would make governance measurable, accountable and focused on the welfare and productivity of Nigerians.
“My message today is not one of despair. It is a message of hope, determination and responsibility. I dare to proclaim with full assurance that a new Nigeria is possible,” Obi said.
“As President of Nigeria, I will make governance measurable, accountable and centred on the welfare and productivity of our people. Within the first year, Nigerians will begin to see the tangible impact of purposeful and effective leadership.”
The former Anambra State governor said his administration would make insecurity, education, healthcare and productive enterprise major priorities.
He pledged to confront insecurity to enable farmers to return to their farms, children to return to school and businesses to operate without fear.
“We will confront insecurity decisively so that our farmers can return to their farms, our children can return to school, businesses can operate freely, and families can live without fear,” he said.
Obi also said no Nigerian should remain in an internally displaced persons’ camp because of the failure of government to provide security, promising to facilitate the safe and dignified return of displaced persons to their communities.
On the economy, the NDC candidate said he would seek to move Nigeria away from what he described as a consumption-driven economy towards one focused on production, jobs, agriculture, manufacturing, human capital and wider opportunities.
He also cited his recent visit to Sokoto State with Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, including a visit to the internally displaced persons’ camp at Ramin Kura, where he said he saw difficult conditions affecting displaced women and children.
“These are Nigerians who should be living in their communities, going to school, farming their land, conducting their businesses and contributing to the economy. Instead, they live as displaced persons in their own country,” he said.
Obi said Nigeria’s problems were not caused by a lack of resources, but by the failure to translate the country’s resources into human development, productivity, security and shared prosperity.
He identified poverty, out-of-school children, insecurity, hunger, maternal and infant mortality, youth unemployment and underemployment, drug abuse and low life expectancy among the challenges requiring urgent attention.
He said his administration would seek to build a secure, united and productive Nigeria governed with competence, accountability and justice.
Obi also urged Nigerians to demand accountability from their leaders, saying the country’s desired future would require more than prayers and promises.
“The Nigeria we desire will not be built by prayers alone, nor by promises alone. It will be built by leadership that understands that public office is a sacred trust, by citizens who demand accountability, and by all of us who refuse to accept failure as our destiny,” he said.
