The Significance Of Citizen Peter Obi

By Martins Oloja

In a working democracy not polluted by soldiers of fortune, political parties and the power elite would have long courted former Governor Peter Obi as a presidential candidate to disrupt some dark forces and institutions that have held down a significant country like Nigeria. But this is Nigeria where the most important qualification to be a candidate for a high profile office is loyalty to ‘political party owners’ or the godfathers. This is the one of the reasons we have been battling with the spirit of near-success syndrome – since 1966 when we lost democracy and federalism. The vicious godfathers are still in charge even for #Project2019. 

*Peter Obi

Despite this prevailing political condition, I think Mr. Peter Obi, as running mate to a presidential candidate at this time should still be celebrated as a glimmer of hope for the most populous black nation on earth. The reason for this additional note to a series of contextual reporting of the man so far is simple. Current attacks on him by a section of the power elite in Eastern Nigeria and celebration of his nomination by the sophisticated Western Nigeria for instance, also illustrate a message of restoration for those who have lost faith in the optimism of the Mandelas who believe that it is only through Nigeria that Africa and the black race would be blessed and celebrated.
Recall that the iconic Nelson Mandela has been quoted several times here as saying, The world will not respect Africa until Nigeria earns that respect. The black people of the world need Nigeria to be great as a source of pride and confidence…’ This is a time to appeal to our political people across platforms to freeze bad politics that has brought us to this reproachful level. It is time to encourage our people including our public intellectuals to think out of the box of parochialism that is taking us again to the realm of thinking that there is nobody else that can run this country better than the over-celebrated retired generals. 

It is sad that we are not discerning enough that the hatchet men and promoters of these ruinous mediocrities in power, have again recruited a band of cyber attackers and social media gunmen – to shoot down anyone who dares to say Nigeria is not working at the moment.

These sleepless cyber mercenaries and their restless but powerful sponsors will never give up on their dreams of keeping Nigeria down forever. That is why those who also believe in rebuilding this country from the rubble that old soldiers have left it, should also continue to show resilience and ask for grace to continue in countermeasures to overthrow the forces of darkness over Nigeria. I noted last week that we should continue to be vigilant over the majesty of this democracy that these wicked ones could crash.

We should continue to deploy the power of brain over brawn at this time. I mean we should not allow the ‘principalities and powers’ in our midst to pull down the Peter Obis, the Obadiah Mailafias, the Kinsley Moghalus, the Obi Ezekwesilis, Fela Dorutoyes, etc that the power of democracy has been manifesting. We should not be ashamed of the gospel of truth that can set Nigeria free again. We should not allow these prominent but insignificant scoundrels, to use this necessary evil called the social media to pull down our brightest and the best, who can to lift Nigeria.

I am not ashamed to support any political strategy that manifested Peter Obi, oh, not as an Igboman, or as a Christian. I am persuaded that he (Peter) should be celebrated as a good man, full of faith, in the power that knowledge of business, politics and development can give – at this reconstruction time. Why should we allow the forces of darkness even among Peter’s kinsmen to take any steam out of celebrating his manifestation?

I believed long ago that great citizens, successful entrepreneurs and prudent public officers such as Peter Obi should be persuaded to lead us, after all. I should, therefore, not be ashamed of the gospel and the philosophy of Citizen Peter Obi. After all, I was the first to suggest his name in this column barely a year ago in a series titled, ‘A Shortlist for Fix-Nigeria2019’ 1-5). The first in the series published on October 15, 2017 actually named Peter Obi as the first nominee in a narrative on people of significance, who should be considered to lead this country at this time. He was Inside Stuff No. 1 nominee to fix Nigeria. Citizen Peter didn’t have to solicit for that as some of the hatchet men of the moment would want to suggest. Why then should I be afraid to celebrate a manifestation of my dream – that has come true?

Read below how I introduced the good man Peter a year ago when I had no idea where the wind of time would blow him:
…My own modest contribution to this “search warrant” is that as a reporter, writer and editor in this failed system and wasted generation in the last 29 years from Lagos to Abuja and the North and back to Lagos, I would like to identify some of our leading lights that should be encouraged to step forward for leadership at any levels through any platforms. If I confess that I do not know many of them as personal friends, in this country where integrity can be easily overrated, “all the perfumes of Arabia cannot wash my hands clean”. But the message should be considered more important than the messenger. So, my shortlist of those to be screened for leadership from my “Reporter’s Diary” cannot be exhaustive: Here is the shortlist not in order of significance, anyway:

Peter Obi –He has shown himself approved as a leader who can read and study what it takes to lead people. He appears to have gathered data that today’s leaders need to succeed in public office. He has also shown the courage, tact, knowledge and discipline needed as governor of Anambra state. He can be useful in any of the two political arms of government: the legislature and the executive. His weak point: Anambra power elite he refused to settle as governor…”

And so the nomination of Peter Obi should be seen for what it is: a glimmer of hope for the black man. I believe analysts should not cast this Peter as a mere political quota filler for the Igbo nation. I think he is much more.

This Peter deserves some respect. A Peter who had the courage (as a governor) to leave his bedroom for a visiting president to his state – instead of building about N500 million worth of a presidential lodge the Abuja State House protocol and security chiefs wanted him to provide, deserves some attention. This Peter who closed down the Anambra State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro Abuja and opted for a low budget room at Rockview Hotel, Abuja each time he visited Abuja as a governor should not be pulled down by cyber attackers.

And here is the thing, most Nigerians have been praying and asking for power shift from the hands of the accidental leaders who have been ruling and ruining us. We have been asking for leaders who are prepared. A great thinker, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, has been harping on the dangers of recycling all these accidental leaders who would always get into office before thinking of what to do with power. This is why this Peter should not be despised. He appears prepared. He should not be portrayed as a Saint Peter. He is human. He is a thinker. He is disciplined. He has been a successful businessman, an investor who knows the value of customer-centricity. And so as a successful former governor, he knows how to lead a national economic council (NEC) on a strategy to treat citizens as customers to be satisfied through robust public policies. He knows that the foundation of economic development too is quality in education. He did a restructuring of the education system in Anambra state. He made education attractive. He returned seized schools to their original owners and gave them good grants to rebuild their infrastructure. The gains are seen every year in WAEC and NECO results, which always place Anambra state as either first or second. The biggest testimony to this Peter’s power of strategic planning is a recent haul by the Regina Pacis Model Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra State five school girls who the other won the Gold Award at the ‘World Technovation Challenge’ held at the Silicon Valley, United States.

It has been noted that the triumph of the ‘Regina Pacis Five’ is a great honor to themselves, their school, their state and their country.  There have been comments about ‘garlands of honour ‘to the visionary leadership of Peter Obi who as governor in 2011, returned missionary schools to their founding owners and gave them huge financial support for operational efficiency’. 

On the global stage of young tech-entrepreneurs, Nigeria has through Peter Obi’s purposeful leadership, been listed on a Wall of Fame and the country is now being talked about in positive terms. This rare feat demonstrates how to build an entrepreneurial nation through quality in education.  In contrast, the federal government has not commissioned any projects to put us on the global stage in this remarkable way in our almost 20 years of democracy. 

What is more, the five school girls exploit in global context demonstrates that people enabled by the right environment, will always exhibit excellence and grit. That is what should dominate issues in the news and debate with those who seek to lead us, and those who have applied to remain in power.

Doubtless, this Peter’s profile should not be attacked for frivolous reasons. Let all candidates go to the field and run on their records. Muckraking and politics of pull-him-down (PhD) should not be allowed to hold Nigeria down again. Aspirants, who cannot learn new strategy and discipline of getting things done, unlearn the old habits of executive inertia and parochialism and relearn news ways of rebuilding an economy should be afraid and hopeless in 2019.

We have been suffering suffering from a crisis of character in leadership. And if this Peter can assist any Nigerian leader to spread enthusiasm for reconstruction of this important nation, let’s not pull him down. We should encourage all our political party leaders too to launch unto the deep to fish out all the Peter Obis in this country. This is the only way to ban mediocrity and incompetence in our public life.