The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised Nigerian leaders for their wasteful show of power and reckless use of resources.
Obi, in a post on X Thursday, shared lessons from his ongoing three-day trip across Atlanta, Washington, and Chicago in the United States.
He drew a sharp contrast between leadership styles in Nigeria and the U.S., insisting that public service should not be about sirens and entourages.
Obi said Atlanta runs on an annual city budget of about $3 billion, more than Nigeria’s national budget. Yet, he noted, the city’s mayor, Andre Dickens, maintains a humble public image.
“Yesterday, after meeting Mayor Andre Dickens, we both travelled on the same flight to Washington,” Obi wrote.
He explained that Dickens boarded like every other passenger at Atlanta Airport, with no aides carrying bags, no special announcements, and no jumping queues.
By contrast, he said, “In Nigeria, governors most of whom oversee budgets smaller than Atlanta’s, and even local government chairmen, whose allocations are less than 1% of Atlanta’s, would have constituted a public nuisance with sirens, protocol officers, endless announcements, large entourages, and posters everywhere.”
Obi also shared that Dickens, a former businessman worth an estimated $10 million, is committed to public safety, crime prevention, youth opportunities, and ensuring council workers earn at least $15 an hour.
“Our public conduct and behaviour must change,” Obi declared, urging Nigerian politicians to abandon vanity and embrace true service.
Do you like Obi’s leadership style? If he is on a presidential ticket in 2027, will you be voting for him, based on political and economic realities as they stand today?
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