Peter Obi, former Labour Party presidential candidate, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the reported purchase of a new presidential jet, describing the move as insensitive at a time when millions of Nigerians lack access to basic necessities, including healthcare.
Speaking as a guest on Sunday Politics, Obi questioned the priorities of the Tinubu administration and pledged to lead with empathy and fiscal responsibility if elected president.
“If I become president, I will use the resources effectively, I cannot buy a new jet,” Obi said during the programme. “I don’t need one because you can go anywhere without a jet, I will never need one.
“I will not use 150 billion to buy a jet when 80 per cent of our primary health centres are not functioning.”
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, used his own time in office to challenge the notion that high office must come with excessive security or luxury. “I was a governor. For my first four years, I drove [a Peugeot] 406. For the rest of it, I didn’t drive bulletproof cars,” he recalled.
Dismissing the argument that security concerns justify the purchase of a presidential jet, Obi said, “Nobody will decide to kill you if you are doing the right thing. It’s when you do the wrong thing that you will fear about death. If your people are dying, you should be ready to die.”
Obi further accused Tinubu of lacking empathy, saying Nigeria needs a leader who genuinely cares about the people’s struggles.
“People want to get up and see a president that cares, a president that shows compassion,” he said. “Today we have a country without compassion. Leadership without compassion does not exist, it is a minus, it is not good for a country.”
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