By Eshioromeh Sebastian
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has declared that he is ready to answer any question about the Nigerian Civil War, insisting that he will not hide from Nigerians on any national issue.
Obi made the declaration in a post on his official social media account on Thursday, hours after appearing on the Arise TV Morning Show, where he spoke about the 2027 general elections and other national issues.
The former Anambra State governor said he had received many calls and text messages from patriotic Nigerians who were angry that an Arise News anchor wanted him to answer questions about the 1966 coups, which he described as national tragedies.
He said he reassured those Nigerians that, as a presidential candidate, he is ready and able to answer any question about anything relating to Nigeria.
“I have a commitment to serve the people, not to hide from them,” Obi said.
Reflecting on the country’s painful history, Obi said that as he travels across Nigeria and listens to Nigerians of all ethnic and religious identities, he has had opportunities to reflect on the many tragedies the country has experienced, including the 1966 coups, the civil war, and the various mass violence that have plagued different parts of the country.
He said these tragedies could have been avoided if laws had been entrenched and implemented justly, adding that they are the result of leadership failure.
According to him, it is the responsibility of Nigerians to understand these failures and fix them, particularly the failure of leadership to guarantee all citizens equal rights and freedoms and to enforce the fundamental rights in the constitution without fear or favour.
Obi stressed that the country must focus on learning from its past, noting that mistakes in history are not fatal and can become opportunities for transformation.
He cited Japan, South Korea, and China as examples of nations that turned painful experiences into economic transformation, saying Nigeria can do the same.
“For me, my responsibility as Nigerian President is to turn the pains and tragedies of the past into opportunities to make Nigeria united, stable, and prosperous,” he said.
He called for a leadership that is not trapped in the past but focuses on what binds Nigerians together rather than what divides them.
“We need a leader who believes in the destiny and future of Nigeria, a leader who publicly proclaims that all parts of Nigeria abound in human and natural resources, and that all parts of Nigeria can become productive and prosperous,” Obi said.
He also said Nigeria can learn from Rwanda on how a recent terrible experience is being used to advance national unity and prosperity.
Obi said he is ready to speak about what voters consider important, ready to comfort and console, and ready to lead from the front as the country works to turn away from the ugly past into a future where no Nigerian will suffer on account of ethnicity, religion, or social pedigree.
“Our past is important, but our past is not our destiny. Our future is what we do with our past. Our past is our resource for national transformation. We are ready to transform Nigeria,” he said.
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