From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has said he would use public funds to better the living conditions of Nigerians if elected president in 2023.
This is even the party governorship candidate for Abia, Alex Otti, awarded scholarship to 26 students, through the Alex Otti Foundation (AOF).
Obi, who stated this in Umuahia, during a scholarship award ceremony to 26 undergraduates by AOF, lamented it is unacceptable that despite the resources God gave the country, millions of Nigerians don’t know where their next meal would come from.
He said: “Some people say I am stingy, but I believe in using public funds to better the lives of the majority instead of sharing it among few people.”
The LP presidential candidate further warned that politicians must stop abusing God’s grace in the country and use public money for public good.
He urged Nigerians to elect credible people into leadership positions to fix the country before it gets worse, stressing that Nigeria must move from a consuming nation to a producing one.
“I’m warning everybody, let’s fix Nigeria before it gets worse. We must fix this place now. It is not acceptable that with the huge resources God gave Nigeria, millions of Nigerians don’t know where their next meal would come.
“This is not acceptable. We must stop abusing the grace of God and use public money for public good. All I’m begging is, go and verify all the candidates, ask questions about what they have done.
“We cannot continue this way. This is not our country. A country where people cannot buy a loaf of bread is not our country. Our country must be productive. We must take back our country and end this poverty. In 2023, we must make a difference. We must take back our country and rebuild it,” he said.
Presenting the scholarship awards to the undergraduates, Otti described the gesture as his contribution to assist less privileged undergraduates acquire education.
He explained that the scholarship programme which is for second year undergraduates is open to students of Abia State origin and others resident in the state.