Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Peter Obi, has joined calls for an investigation into the recent accidental military air strike at Tudun Biri village in the Igabi local government area of Kaduna State.
He also called on the federal government to provide adequate funding for the military and other security agencies in order to enhance their operations.
Obi made these statements when he visited the victims at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in the state capital yesterday.
He lamented that the country has so far recorded 16 accidental military bombings that claimed over 500 lives, with nothing being done by the federal government to avert recurrence of such tragedies.
The former Anambra State governor, however, underscored the need for the government to support the military to ensure that incidents like accidental bombings do not happen again.
Obi noted that adequate funding for the military is key in tackling the contemporary and emerging security challenges confronting the nation.
He also supported calls for the investigation of the military air strike, just as he advocated the setting up of a foundation to cater for the victims of the Tudun Biri drone attack, particularly those that have been orphaned by the incident.
In another development, Obi commended the coming on stream of Dangote Refinery, saying it will be beneficial to Nigeria’s troubled economy.
On his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi, congratulated Aliko Dangote on the feat which he described as a “major milestone in the Nigerian energy sector”.
The refinery sited in Lagos and owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is said to have commenced operations with 350,000 barrels a day.
The refinery recently received its first one million barrels of Agbami crude grade, which represents the first phase of the six million barrels to be supplied to the refinery by several suppliers.
Obi said, “Having earlier witnessed the Commissioning of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals as the World’s Largest Single Train Petroleum Refinery, I do believe it will be very beneficial to Nigeria’s troubled economy.
“When it operates maximally, the refinery will boast a capacity of 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day and is expected to meet Nigeria’s domestic demand for petroleum products and help Nigeria save the much-needed foreign exchange currently spent on the importation of such products.
“It’s expected that by meeting our domestic demand and supplying the surplus to the International markets, Nigeria will take its place as a key player in the downstream petroleum sector of the global market.”
Obi noted that the private sector will play a crucial role in the struggle to move the nation from consumption to production. “This will help to create jobs, help in generating the much-needed foreign exchange, and encourage the growth of other small-scale businesses in the industry,” he added.
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