Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has voiced worry over Nigeria’s security situation, especially the fears that surround travelling between different regions of the country.
Obi brought up the matter while addressing a town hall meeting in Kaduna, where he outlined his plans and priorities ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The former governor of Anambra State stated that, should he be elected president, security would rank among the top priorities of his administration. He further stated that he would pass holiday periods in various parts of Nigeria, especially visiting communities hit by insecurity, instead of steering clear of areas regarded as unsafe.
In Obi’s view, Nigerians ought to be able to travel throughout the country, do business and see friends and relatives without continually fearing kidnapping or other forms of insecurity.
He cited his own trip to Kaduna to demonstrate what he called the degree of anxiety that surrounds travel in certain parts of the country.
Obi recounted that people close to him had asked whether it was safe for him to make the journey before he finally travelled to the state.
“When I tell people I’m coming to Kaduna this morning, everybody’s telling you, are you sure?” he said.
The former governor contended that reactions of this kind showed how deeply insecurity has undermined people’s confidence in travelling within Nigeria.
He remarked that a situation where citizens must fret about their safety each time they move from one state to another calls for urgent government attention.
Obi said his proposed administration would thus concentrate on bolstering Nigeria’s security system and boosting the ability of security agencies to protect citizens.
He likewise connected security to economic activity, observing that people would struggle to take part fully in commerce and other productive pursuits if they feared travelling or running their businesses in certain areas.
The NDC presidential candidate said that rebuilding confidence in the country’s roads and communities would form a key part of building an environment in which Nigerians could move about freely and seek economic opportunities.
Obi’s remarks in Kaduna therefore positioned security and freedom of movement among the issues he said his proposed government would address.
Leave a Reply