The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has challenged Nigerian youths to take back Nigeria from corrupt leaders and create a country they want and can be proud of.
Obi said this on Friday at an international youth conference in Enugu with the theme; ‘Seizing the moment to shape the future’.
Obi said he is encouraged at the turn out and interests the youths have shown so far in the build up to the 2023 general elections, adding that the change Nigeria really needs depends on the youths.
The LP candidate added that the attacks he had received were proof that he is up against people with “well entrenched interests.”
He said, “The evils that have plagued our country cannot and will not continue forever. Those who are plundering our treasuries will not be able to do so for much longer.
Quoting a great American social crusader, Martin Luther King Jr, Obi said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
He continued, “We are encouraged, especially by the passion and commitment which our young people are bringing to our ranks, and by their determination to take back their country and build for themselves the kind of nation they desire.
“We are not unmindful of the odds stacked high against those who wish to take on the system; indeed, the attacks coming at us from all angles prove that we are up against well entrenched interests.
“It all depends on YOU! Are you tired of being tired of this country? Then, it’s time to act. Let’s make the Office of the enlightened Citizen the highest office in the land. It’s time to take back your country!”
Obi told the youths that the time had come for truth and justice to prevail, adding that good leadership would make the difference to drive dreams.
He said, “The current state of Africa is in direct proportion to the character of leadership we have had post-independence. Most of the independence leaders were freedom fighters, and failure in leadership led to seemingly endless decades of lost opportunities.
“The fate of Africa depends on Nigeria. And the fate of Nigeria depends on good leaders. Good leaders can only come out of a system of strong and capable followers, holding to account those they elect to govern them.
“It is time to stop that nonsensical cycle. We have to press the reset button. We must restart Nigeria and begin to build the country of our dreams. We stand now at an opportune time to press that reset button. We must do so by rejecting those who have failed us so woefully in the past. We will choose a New Nigeria.”
Obi added, “We are on our knees in Nigeria, bogged down by numerous problems. Each time we attempt to stand up, it seems something is holding us down. Meanwhile, we are all aware of the problems and the issues confronting us; Bad leaders, insecurity, corruption, mismanagement of the economy, incompetent people holding positions at different levels of government, abject poverty in the midst of plenty and ethno-religious crises.”