Nigerians abroad who send money home to relatives were given a pointed message on Sunday by Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for 2027, who asked them to push family members to focus on political change.
Speaking at a town hall meeting with supporters in the United Kingdom, the former Anambra State governor encouraged those in the diaspora to convince relatives to prioritise change rather than continually requesting money from abroad.
“You have people at home who are begging you for money. Tell them no. Let’s put somebody who has proven, I said I’m not a saint, but at least I have said something,” he said.
He said he needed the support of the gathering, which he was hosting for lunch. “I need you people and that is why I’m having lunch with you today. This lunch is for you to say, this man came and what he said is the reality of our problem. Let’s work with him,” he said.
Obi said Nigeria could make progress if citizens rejected corruption and the alleged diversion of public funds, which he linked to the country’s poor public infrastructure.
“That is how the countries change. Countries change by people saying, hey, wait a minute, enough of this,” he said, adding that money allegedly diverted by public officials could otherwise have funded schools and hospitals.
He recalled a time when, according to him, public services were better managed, and contrasted it with reports of officials allegedly accumulating properties and missing public funds.
Obi also challenged other former governors to show that they had saved a significant portion of public funds while in office, arguing that his own record offered a basis for comparison.
“So, let’s start with this one who is maybe less corrupt. We are not saying it is all, but let’s not pretend it is not happening,” he said.
Obi is seeking to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
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