Governance has become a crime scene in Nigeria, Peter Obi laments

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has delivered a scathing critique of Nigeria’s leadership, declaring that the country’s governance system has deteriorated into a “crime scene” where hardworking citizens are neglected while politicians plunder public funds.

Speaking Tuesday during a visit to Godfrey Okoye School of Nursing Sciences in Enugu, where he donated N20 million to support the institution, Obi expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s worsening poverty and malnutrition crisis, citing alarming reports from the World Bank and UNICEF.

“It is not easy to be working in our country today, because those who work are not cared for, those who don’t work, which are the government officials and politicians, are busy stealing up the money,” Obi stated bluntly.

The former Anambra governor painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s governance failures: “We’ve turned governance into a crime scene. Instead of using the resources to do the right thing, we’re using it to do the wrong thing.”

Obi particularly highlighted Nigeria’s severe healthcare workforce shortage, noting the country’s dire need for 1.2 million nurses compared to fewer than 200,000 currently registered. He urged nursing students to remain committed, emphasizing their critical role in serving rural communities.

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“The world needs nurses and Nigeria, particularly needs them to staff community hospitals and village hospitals,” he told the students.

The opposition leader praised faith-based organizations like the Catholic Church for filling gaps where government had failed: “What you people are doing is what we are supposed to be doing in government. That’s what the job of government is.”
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In response, Bishop Callistus Onaga of Enugu Catholic Diocese thanked Obi for his philanthropy while offering prophetic political commentary:

“We are praying for you…not everybody likes trying to look into the plight of the poor people but you have done it. What we are praying is that your dream of Nigeria must come through…things are not working out well in our country.”

The event underscored growing concerns about Nigeria’s governance crisis, with Obi positioning himself as a champion of reform ahead of future elections. His comments reflect deepening public frustration with political leadership as economic hardships continue to mount across the nation.

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