Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, says he strongly condemns violence or illegal acts by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) or any other group. However, he believes such actions must be addressed through meaningful dialogue, not military force.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Obi insisted that dialogue is the best solution to agitations.
He said that every part of the country—East, West, North, or South—experiences agitation in some form. According to him, these must be resolved through conversation, not suppression.
Agitations Are Natural; Dialogue Is the Path to Unity
Obi addressed criticism that he has not been tough on IPOB, stating that such opinions misrepresent his views. He said his focus has always been peaceful unity, not conflict.
“I’m hard on everybody. I remember what I said during the campaign until today. Any agitator, I will discuss with,” Obi explained. “There’s nothing wrong in agitation, whether it’s urban movement, whether it’s modern movement, any movement, I’ll sit down and discuss with.”
He likened national agitations to personal experiences at home. “Even in my house, people agitate. Why don’t you dialogue with them? I have children who say, oh, I don’t want to do this, daddy. And I say, okay, give me your time. Let’s talk,” he said.
Obi condemned the notion that firmness means being aggressive or violent. “Good behaviour has become weakness. Good character has become weakness. If I go into a place where people are shouting and beating people, I’m a strong person,” he said. According to him, that kind of thinking is dangerous and only damages the system further.
Democracy Under Threat in Rivers State
Obi also reacted to the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State. He expressed disappointment over how the Nigerian government handled it. He said the country is moving further away from democratic principles.
“You cannot, under any circumstances, solve a problem in a democratic setting by going against the rules,” Obi declared. He warned that disregarding the law in resolving political conflicts only damages Nigeria’s democracy further.
He pointed to the recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers as a serious breach of democratic norms. According to Obi, conflict resolution must happen through proper legal and democratic processes, not force or intimidation.
Fuel Subsidy Removal Should Have Been Organised
Obi reaffirmed his support for removing fuel subsidies but criticised the Tinubu administration for handling it badly. He described the removal as chaotic and not thought through.
“I have consistently maintained that I would have removed the fuel subsidy,” Obi stated. “If you go to my manifesto, it’s there. Steps I would have taken to do it in an organised manner.”
He argued that while the subsidy system was riddled with corruption, the removal should have been done gradually and with a clear plan. He questioned the use of the funds reportedly saved from the removal.
“With all these things, billions saved, where is it? Where is it invested in those critical areas of development?” he asked.
Floating the Naira Without Local Production Is Risky
Speaking further, Obi criticised the floating of the naira without increasing local production. He acknowledged that there’s nothing wrong with currency devaluation or floating if the country is productive.
“What devaluation or floating does is that your currency becomes, in terms of value, low. You attract investment,” he explained. “But where we are unproductive, you have nothing to sell. So it’s a double whammy.”
He said he would have handled the situation differently by first boosting agriculture, manufacturing, and overall productivity. Obi stressed that these economic changes must come with national planning and transparency.
“We will need to have a national planning where all the resources will be put in,” he said. He believes Nigerians deserve to see exactly how saved funds are used. The government, he said, must keep its promises to invest in key sectors.
Security First, Not Highways
Obi also questioned the Tinubu administration’s focus on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. He criticised spending huge sums on the project while insecurity, hunger, and unemployment continue to trouble the nation.
“Are you saying that the coastal road is more important than securing Nigeria?” he asked. According to him, it makes no sense to build roads if people are too afraid to travel on them.
He said, “You fix those roads first and use your resources to secure your country. Security is far more fundamental than roads.”
Obi called for the government to focus more on power supply and food production. He said internal threats must be taken seriously and tackled like a wartime situation.
“If we were in a war, we would declare a state of war… whatever it takes to secure the country, I would do it,” he said.
Obi urged the Nigerian government to rethink its priorities, engage its citizens, and build policies around consultation and planning. He warned that without national unity, Nigeria’s development will continue to stall.
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