My mission is to unite, secure Nigeria –Peter Obi

From Jude Owuamanam, Jos

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pledged to unite Nigeria, tackle widespread insecurity and ensure that all internally displaced persons return to their ancestral homes within the first year of his administration if elected president in 2027.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said his government would confront kidnappers and other violent criminals, restore security to troubled communities and create an environment in which farmers, businesses and other economic activities could thrive, insisting that no meaningful development could take place while Nigerians continued to live in fear.

Speaking at a town hall meeting at Crispan Hotel, Jos, Plateau State, yesterday, he identified national unity, security, economic recovery and accountable leadership as the foundations of his presidential agenda, promising to address the ethnic and religious divisions that had weakened the country and undermined efforts to confront its challenges.

He said an Obi-Kwankwaso administration would make the protection of lives and property its immediate priority, stressing that the continued displacement of Nigerians from their homes was unacceptable and must be brought to an end.

“Our primary goal is to unite the Republic of Nigeria. The country has suffered from a lack of genuine unity and citizens must overcome tribal and ethnic sentiment and other divisive tendencies to move forward.

“A major pillar of our administration is the fight against insecurity. Insecurity is a primary barrier to economic growth and restoring safety is a prerequisite for national progress.”

   Obi declared that his administration would consider itself unsuccessful if Nigerians continued to live in internally displaced persons’ camps after its first year in office, promising to restore peace to affected communities and facilitate the return of displaced families.

“If any Nigerian remains in an Internally Displaced Persons camp, we have failed. Once one Nigerian is in an IDP camp, the entire Nigeria is in an IDP camp. People must return to their homes.

“I assure you that no mother will continue to cry over the loss of her children. No woman should experience the pain of losing her husband, and no father should suffer the agony of losing his wife.

“Nobody will kidnap two children and disappear into the bush. If you kidnap children and go into the bush, you will not be alone there. We will come after you,” he warned.

Obi said his determination to contest the presidency was strengthened by his encounters with victims of violent attacks and families displaced by insecurity, particularly in Plateau State, where he had visited troubled communities in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Mangu local government areas.

He claimed to be the only presidential candidate who had visited some of the affected communities, arguing that political leaders must demonstrate genuine concern for the suffering of citizens rather than merely seek their votes during elections.

“If I have one person in an IDP camp, it means we are all in an IDP camp. I am competing because I want to know how we talk to that mother whose child was killed, that husband who lost a wife and that woman who lost a husband. Who is going to listen to their cries?” he asked.

The former governor said his consultations with communities ahead of the commencement of campaigns were intended to identify their needs and develop practical solutions to the country’s problems.

He maintained that Nigeria required healthy, competent and compassionate leadership capable of listening to citizens and responding to their concerns, expressing confidence that President Bola Tinubu would be voted out of office in 2027.

“We need a healthy leader with listening ears. When you want to serve, you must listen to the people. When we come for campaigns, we only talk and we don’t listen to the people.

We have decided that leadership must be demand-driven,” he said.

On the economy, Obi promised to move Nigeria away from dependence on consumption towards increased domestic production, arguing that improved security, investment in agriculture and support for businesses would create employment opportunities and reduce poverty.

“Our determination is to unite Nigeria, secure Nigeria and pull people out of poverty. That is why we said we are going to move Nigeria from consumption to production.

“By increasing production, we will increase employment. Today, farmers cannot go to their farms because of insecurity. Companies operating in Plateau State have collapsed because of insecurity. When we unite Nigeria and secure it, we will create opportunities,” he said.

Obi, who drew attention to his experience in business and the financial sector, promised to improve access to credit for small and medium-scale enterprises, saying the inability of entrepreneurs to secure affordable funding had constrained business expansion and employment generation.

“I know what it means to access funding. I have been a director and chairman of a financial institution, and I understand how banks operate.

“We will ensure that a portion of credit available in the banking sector goes to small businesses to enable them to grow and create jobs,” he said.

He also promised to tackle corruption and ensure that public resources were deployed for the benefit of Nigerians, stressing that transparency, accountability and responsible management of public funds would be central to his administration.

“I have managed public money, so when I say I am going to fight corruption, I know what I am talking about.

“I will fight corruption. Public money must be used for public good. Today, public money is wrongly being used, and that must change,” Obi declared.

On education, the NDC presidential candidate lamented the number of Nigerian children who remained out of school, putting the figure at about 18 million, and promised increased investment in educational infrastructure, recruitment of teachers and improved access to learning.

“We want our children to go back to school. We want our schools to work. The more educated you are as a nation, the more developed you become.

“We will build new classrooms, employ teachers and ensure that our schools function properly. We cannot continue to allow millions of Nigerian children to remain outside the classroom,” he said.

He also identified healthcare as a priority, particularly the strengthening of primary healthcare centres to address maternal and infant mortality and improve access to medical services in underserved communities.

“Today, if you are sick in Nigeria, you go to church because there are no functional hospitals in many communities.

“The consequence is that people are dying. Pregnant mothers are dying, children are dying, and we have very high infant and maternal mortality rates.

“The foundation of access to healthcare is primary healthcare. We must strengthen our primary healthcare centres and ensure that every community has access to quality medical services,” he said.

Obi further pledged to prioritise the welfare of vulnerable Nigerians, including the elderly, persons living with disabilities and families struggling with poverty, insisting that government must demonstrate compassion through policies that directly improve people’s lives.

Turning to the 2027 general elections, he urged Nigerians to take responsibility for protecting their votes, warning that the electoral process could be undermined if voters failed to remain vigilant during counting, recording and transmission of results.

“In this election, every voter is a polling agent. You must stay and protect your votes and make sure that your votes are counted before you leave. You should not allow anybody to short-change you,” he said.

He maintained that citizens had a patriotic duty to ensure that their votes counted and that electoral officials complied with established procedures.

“In the next election, every voter is an agent. Don’t vote and go home. Take that day as the one day you are giving to Nigeria as a patriotic Nigerian.

“Prepare yourself with your breakfast, lunch and dinner, and remain there. Your vote must be counted, recorded and transmitted. Nobody should give you any excuse. It is your vote, and we want this election to be about the future of Nigeria,” he declared.

Earlier, Obi visited the Plateau State Traditional Council in Jos, where he met traditional rulers led by the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, and reiterated his commitment to providing competent, compassionate and responsive leadership.

He said Nigeria needed a government that would place the welfare and security of citizens above political considerations, particularly in communities that had suffered repeated attacks and displacement.

“We want a government that has the capacity to do the job. We want a government that has compassion, a government that hears the cries of mothers who have lost their children.

“We want a government that is committed to the future of Nigeria. Commitment is very important, and that is what we are going to offer Nigerians,” Obi said.

Responding on behalf of the traditional council, Buba urged politicians and Nigerians to ensure that political activities did not aggravate existing security challenges or deepen divisions among communities.

“We want to appeal to all politicians and all Nigerians that we should not allow politics to worsen our situation. We already have insecurity, and we must be determined to live with each other in peace and with respect for one another,” the monarch said.

He prayed for divine guidance in the emergence of a leader capable of governing the country effectively, restoring peace and promoting national development, while urging political actors to conduct their activities responsibly throughout the electioneering period.

Obi was received by a large crowd of supporters in Jos, some of whom accompanied him to the palace of the Gbong Gwom Jos before assembling at Crispan Hotel for the town hall meeting, where he answered questions and addressed concerns raised by participants.