2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi has said that Nigerian politicians “should take a strong lesson from the recent Kenyan experience.”
Recall that Kenyan citizens took to the streets of Nairobi, to protest the Finance Bill by their Lawmakers. The protesters stormed the Senate, chased away all the lawmakers and dominated the media space with the hashtag ‘#RejectFinanceBill2024.’
Obi in a series of posts on his X account, said, unlike Nigeria where leaders will “resort to using public funds to pay media thugs to insult and abuse those who speak truth to power,” President William Ruto, “demonstrated true Leadership by listening to the people’s demands and acting accordingly, recognizing that government should be driven by the needs of the citizens, not by our own consumption agenda.”
The former Anambra Governor also said that the Kenyan president also demonstrated transparency in leadership when he was accused of chartering a plane to America and charged Nigerian leaders to a borrow a leaf from the manner Ruto addressed the issue.
His post reads;
We, the Nigerian political leaders, should take a strong lesson from the recent Kenyan experience. When the Kenyan public realized that their government was not making sufficient sacrifices and prioritizing resources effectively, they spoke out, demanded change, expressed their dissatisfaction, and protested.
In response, the President demonstrated true Leadership by listening to the people’s demands and acting accordingly, recognizing that government should be driven by the needs of the citizens, not by our own consumption agenda.
The government took several measures to reduce unnecessary expenditures and demonstrate fiscal responsibility, including cancelling budgets for the First Lady and Second Lady’s offices, dissolving 47 state agencies, suspending nonessential travel for government workers, freezing the purchase of new cars for officials, and reducing the number of advisers by half.
Another notable instance was when the president was accused of chartering a plane to America. Instead of dismissing the concerns, he responded transparently and addressed the issue.
This acknowledgement of the people’s demands exemplifies responsive governance. In contrast, we the Nigerian leaders, often arrogantly do the opposite to genuine grievances of our suffering citizens.
Instead of addressing legitimate concerns, and being accountable to the people, we resort to using public funds to pay media thugs to insult and abuse those who speak truth to power. We, the Nigerian Leaders, must abandon these detrimental habits, stop the feasting, and start making sacrifices for the greater good of our suffering masses.
True change and progress will require leaders who are sincere, willing to listen, act responsibly, and prioritize the welfare of the people over personal or political interests. If we make the necessary changes and make the needed sacrifices, a new Nigeria is possible! -PO
