Peter Obi, astute businessman and former Anambra State governor and former Vice Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is noted for his fiscal discipline and deep intellectual bent. In this exclusive interview with 365Daily, he speaks on conditions that must be met in choosing the country’s next president, funding critical infrastructure, the implications of foreign loans for the country, among other issues. Please read on:
Many are of the view that the recent spontaneous #EndSARS protests by Nigerian youths send diverse underlining messages about the state of the nation. What is your own reading of the situation?
“Spontaneous”? Every discerning observer will identify the #EndSARS protests as organised, though they became infiltrated by predators along the line. We may recall that this same #EndSARS forum had engaged in a protest not too long ago, which ended in a fiasco.
As the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire. Really, is there any demand of the protesters that is new? Of course, the protests reflect the state of the Nigerian nation and we hope the authorities respond positively to ease the tension in the land.
Do you think that the capacity of the people to bring about desired change in a democracy was being under-estimated by the political class in Nigeria?
Obviously. However, it is not just the political class but the rest of Nigeria and its institutions that seemed to have been caught napping. Our penchant for “Business As Usual” has put us in this quagmire; and the leadership should focus on being proactive.
With the 2023 general election in view, the issue of a President of Igbo extraction is once again on the front-burner. As a key political figure from the south-east, and a former Vice-Presidential candidate, what is your position on this, essentially in relation to the need for balance, equity and justice?
As you have indicated, the imperative for balance, equity and justice in the Nigerian polity cannot be over-emphasised. Whether you are talking about the Federal Character Principle or Zoning, Nigeria has always been seen within the framework of ‘North-South’, ‘Geo-Political Zones’, ‘State of Origin’, and ‘Tribe’. Whichever prism we adopt at any given time, the principles of equity, fair-play and justice should apply.
Some say that the Igbos play wrong politics and that is why not many people take their quest for the Presidency seriously; some even predict that the Igbo would remain outside the power circle for another eight years. Do you share such fears?
These are expressions of hate and marginalisation against the south-east. Could you ask those commentators to clarify what they mean by “wrong politics” and why they have pre-empted the exclusion of the south-east from the presidency come 2023 from as early as two and a half years to that transition year?
Many are worried about Nigeria’s rising debt profile, but the government argues that the current loans it is seeking from China are tied to verifiable projects. What is your opinion on this?
As I have indicated earlier and severally, borrowing is not the problem, but what you do with the loans so borrowed. As media practitioners and society’s watch-dogs, it is your duty as to let the Nigerian people know about the “verifiable projects”. I am not in the ruling party, and the onus is on them to identify those projects for which the loans are obtained. If Nigerians are happy about them, so be it.
Are there more creative ways through which Nigeria can fund critical infrastructure projects that are different from what the current government is doing?
Yes, there are. Taking you back to my tenure as Governor of Anambra State, we cut down the cost of governance and released funds for critical areas of need. We adopted a multi-sectoral approach to governance, known as ANIDS, without owing a Kobo. We achieved results and left a whopping N75 billion in the treasury for our successor-administration. Our efforts were acknowledged locally and globally; and even replicated in some other States and outside Nigeria.
On balance, I believe there are some technocrats in the current administration who know what to do to elevate this country from its present morass. Maybe they are keeping quiet for their own reasons or nobody is listening to them.
There are growing concerns among the people about the volume of loans African countries are taking from China. Do you nurse similar fears?
If you must borrow, it should be for sustainable projects, you stand a better chance to repay the loans and eventually stand on your own in the future. Even in our local communities, we all know the adverse implications of undue dependence on money lenders just for recurrent expenses. If you have not, try reading William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.
But I also want our people to realise that it is not only money that we should be rushing to China to borrow. We have to ask ourselves those things that China did that lifted their economy. What Am I saying? We should endeavour to borrow more of ideas from China.
What is your take on the restructuring debate currently sweeping across the country?
I have always been for restructuring. What I have noticed is that many people do not understand what restructuring is. It is not about division or war, but about looking at our polity and re-arranging it in a manner that every zone will be happy and the entire country progresses.
Nigeria’s next off-season gubernatorial election holds in your home State, Anambra, next year. How would you respond to claims that your party, the PDP, would not be able to win the election because of persistent rancour among its leaders?
Whose claims? The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is solidly on ground in Anambra State; and we are equipped and geared to securing the governorship come next year. Which party does not have internal problems to contend with? All I can assure you is that ultimately we shall work like one family.