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By Lawrence Agbo
Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi has said many Nigerians living in South Africa, despite facing xenophobic attacks, would rather remain there than return home because of the worsening economic situation in Nigeria.
Obi disclosed this while speaking at a dinner organised for National Democratic Coalition (NDC) aspirants in Abuja, shortly after returning from South Africa.
According to a statement issued by the NDC media team on Tuesday, the former Labour Party presidential candidate said efforts were made to support distressed Nigerians willing to return home, but many declined the offer.
“I just came back last night from South Africa. You know what Nigerians are going through in South Africa and so many other African countries,” Obi said.
He explained that several Nigerians told him they preferred enduring hardship abroad because conditions in Nigeria had become more difficult.
“If you don’t know, we provided facilities for them to come back. But most of them told me they would rather die there than come back. They said things are even worse at home,” he stated.
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Obi also revealed that he met with former South African President Thabo Mbeki and other political leaders to discuss ways of improving relations between South Africans and other African nationals.
The former governor criticised the Federal Government for what he described as inadequate support for Nigerians facing challenges overseas.
“It is not only in South Africa that Nigerians have problems, but they have problems in other countries. I have had cause to ask them if our government has visited and the answer is no,” he said.
Obi further expressed concern over Nigeria’s growing insecurity, noting that a country once recognised for peacekeeping missions across the world could no longer guarantee its own safety.
“Nigeria played a role in securing nations since the Second World War. But today, Nigeria cannot secure itself. This is unacceptable,” he added.
At the event, NDC National Leader Seriake Dickson also explained why the party could not deploy electronic voting during its primaries, saying the technology required more testing to avoid technical failures.
Former NNPP Board of Trustees secretary Buba Galadima, meanwhile, urged aspirants who may lose party tickets to remain loyal and committed to the NDC ahead of future elections.
