The Labour Party presidential candidate, while speaking on Nigeria’s debt profile, said that there was nothing wrong with borrowing but that his administration could only borrow for investment.
CN reports that Obi said this yesterday during his address at the Editors Forum, an initiative of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, held in Lagos.
He said: “Every nation borrows; individual businesses borrow all over the world. What is important is what we use the borrowed money to do. If you borrow for consumption, that is where we have a problem.”
The former governor insisted that borrowed money should be invested well to increase the country’s gross domestic product and per capita income. “I won’t say I will not borrow, but I will only borrow for investment, and I will explain to Nigerians the need for the borrowing,” he added, promising to reduce the nation’s debt burden.
Asked to speak about his increasing support base, Obi said he doesn’t know the total number of supporters he currently has, but that he would rather die than fail his supporters.
He said: “I did not know many of them, but I vow not to disappoint them. I am determined not to fail them. I would rather die than fail them. I am going to serve them.”
Speaking on the many challenges bedevilling Nigeria, the presidential hopeful said the right leadership would eliminate most of the challenges by turning the country from consumption to production.
Obi opined that Nigeria was going through the challenges mainly because it was a consuming instead of a producing country. According to him, if the nation is productive, three-quarters of its challenges can be solved.
He listed the challenges to include unemployment, poverty, criminality and insecurity.
Obi said: “We cannot have that number of people living in poverty and not have criminality, banditry and so on. We must remove sharing formula and replace it with the production formula.”
According to him, Nigeria had fertile lands and the population to do well in agriculture. He reiterated that the hope of this country is the vast uncultivated land and not the oil we see as citizens.
Obi said: “My commitment is to put Nigeria into production. It is not acceptable that we cannot feed ourselves.
“We must get the country to work; all it requires is the leadership that understands and can drive the process. I can do that.”
Dorathy Bachor has put her massive cleavage on display as she turns a year older.…
Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has insisted that the outcome of the 2023 presidential election…
President Bola Tinubu on Monday, directed the immediate release of all the minors who were…
Eniola Ajao, a popular Yoruba actress and filmmaker has revealed how fake news on social…
Agatha Amata is celebrating her 55th birthday today Taking to X to celebrate her new age,…
Legendary American music producer, Quincy Jones has died at the age of 91. …