By NEWSCOUNT Desk

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called for sober and honest reflection on Nigeria’s 66 years of independence, saying the country’s worsening poverty, insecurity, unemployment, hunger and human development challenges demand a fundamental change in the way the nation is governed.

Obi made the call in his Independence Day address on Thursday, October 1, 2026, urging Nigerians to look beyond the celebrations and examine whether the country is moving towards the vision held by its founding fathers at independence.

He said Independence anniversaries should provide an opportunity for the country to assess where it is, where it wants to be and how it intends to get there, arguing that these questions had become particularly important in view of the hardship confronting millions of Nigerians.

According to him, Nigeria remains richly endowed with human and natural resources, vast agricultural potential and other advantages that should have placed the country on a stronger path of development.

Obi, however, argued that the major problem confronting the country was not a shortage of resources but the failure of leadership to convert those resources into human development, productivity, security and shared prosperity.

He expressed concern over the level of poverty and severe hardship in the country, the number of children outside school, insecurity, hunger, maternal and infant mortality, youth unemployment and underemployment, drug abuse and the country’s low life expectancy.

The former Anambra State governor cited what he described as more than 140 million Nigerians living in poverty and severe hardship, while also drawing attention to the estimated more than 18 million children out of school. He further raised concerns about the number of Nigerians facing food insecurity and the projected rise in extreme hunger before the end of 2026.

Obi said the situation required Nigerians to ask difficult questions about the choices the country had made and the failures it had tolerated over the years.

He rejected the suggestion that Nigeria was cursed, maintaining that the country was immensely endowed and blessed but had failed to make adequate use of its advantages for the benefit of its citizens.

“Are we cursed, or have we become the curse through the choices we have made and the failures we have tolerated?” he asked, while stressing that the responsibility for changing the situation rested with both leaders and citizens.

The NDC candidate also referred to his recent two-day visit to Sokoto State with his 2027 running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, saying the trip exposed the depth of the challenges facing communities affected by insecurity, poverty, unemployment, drug abuse and the lack of access to education.

He said the delegation visited the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp at Ramin Kura in Sokoto metropolis, where they encountered women and children displaced from their communities and living under difficult conditions.

Obi said the people in the camp should ordinarily be living in their communities, farming their land, attending school, running businesses and contributing to the economy, rather than being displaced within their own country.

He described the condition of the displaced persons as a reflection of the hardship being experienced in several parts of Nigeria, saying the plight of the children was particularly disturbing.

“The political leaders have failed our country and, most importantly, we have failed our children,” he said.

Obi said his message was nevertheless not one of despair, but of hope, determination and responsibility, insisting that Nigeria could still be transformed into a country where citizens enjoy security, opportunity and a decent standard of living.

He promised that, if elected President in 2027, his administration would make governance measurable and accountable, with the welfare and productivity of Nigerians placed at the centre of government policy.

According to him, Nigerians should begin to see tangible results from effective leadership within the first year of his administration.

He said security would receive decisive attention, with the objective of enabling farmers to return safely to their farms, children to return to school, businesses to operate without fear and families displaced by violence to return to their communities with dignity.

“No Nigerian should be forced to live in an IDP camp because his or her government has failed to provide security,” Obi said.

He also promised to pursue a shift from what he described as a consumption-driven economy to a productive economy capable of generating employment and expanding opportunities for Nigerians.

The former governor said agriculture, manufacturing, human capital development and job creation would form part of the effort to rebuild the productive capacity of the country, while education, healthcare and security would be treated as essential foundations of a functioning nation.

Obi further pledged that public resources under his administration would be deployed strictly for the public good, with governance based on competence, accountability and justice.

He said Nigeria should become a country where no child is denied education because of poverty or insecurity, no mother dies because she cannot obtain basic healthcare, farmers can work their land without fear and young Nigerians can find opportunities to work, build businesses and prosper.

The presidential candidate also promised to lead by example if elected, saying he would not spend his holidays outside Nigeria during his four-year tenure.

He said his holidays would instead be spent visiting different parts of the country, specifically mentioning Zamfara, Borno, Kwara, Ebonyi, Edo and Ekiti states, among others.

Obi said such visits would enable him to see Nigeria directly, understand the difficulties confronting different communities, listen to citizens and appreciate their resilience.

He said the Nigeria he envisaged would be secure, united and productive, with public officials treating their positions as a sacred trust rather than an avenue for personal benefit.

Obi urged Nigerians to demand accountability from those entrusted with public office, saying the transformation of the country could not be achieved through prayers or political promises alone.

He maintained that the responsibility for building a better Nigeria required leadership committed to service as well as citizens prepared to reject failure and demand better standards of governance.

“The Nigeria we desire will not be built by prayers alone, nor by promises alone,” Obi said, adding that the country must now work towards building “the new and productive Nigeria that is possible.”