Obi Says Presidents, Political Office Holders Should Spend Holidays In Nigeria

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has called on the President and other political office holders to spend their holidays in Nigeria, saying this would expose them firsthand to the hardships faced by vulnerable citizens.

Obi made the call on Wednesday during a visit to the Ramin Kura internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Sokoto North Local Government Area, where he criticised the living conditions of displaced Nigerians.

He said the camp was housing more than 1,000 displaced persons, with some families living in makeshift shelters and thatched rooms.

According to him, some rooms accommodate as many as 10 people, while the camp lacks adequate toilet facilities, a primary healthcare centre and a basic school for children.

“I have always insisted that as long as even one Nigerian lives in an IDP camp, we are all internally displaced,” Obi said.

He called on the government to improve living conditions in the camp while addressing the security challenges that forced the residents to flee their ancestral communities.

“The government of today must work assiduously to make the temporary accommodation for our dear citizens living in these camps comfortable, while ensuring that all the underlying security issues that created these conditions in the first place are resolved, to enable them to return to their ancestral homes,” he said.

Obi said the Sokoto visit was his 12th visit to an IDP camp in Nigeria and pledged to continue supporting displaced Nigerians.

The former Anambra State governor also criticised the practice of political office holders spending their holidays outside the country, arguing that direct exposure to the conditions of vulnerable Nigerians would give them a better understanding of the challenges facing the population.

“This is why I continue to say that the President’s and political office holders’ holidays must be within Nigeria, so that they can see first-hand the difficulties faced by these fellow Nigerians,” he said.

Obi said the conditions of displaced Nigerians had been worsened by what he described as the government’s failure to prioritise critical areas of development.

He urged the government and relevant agencies to urgently intervene in the camp and address the residents’ immediate needs.

Obi’s visit formed part of his wider engagements in Sokoto, where he and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, also met the Sultan of Sokoto and held discussions with residents on insecurity, poverty, unemployment and other national issues.