The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pledged to spend his holidays within Nigeria if elected president in the 2027 general elections.
Obi made the pledge in his Independence Day address delivered in Abuja, saying he would use his four-year tenure to tour the country, engage with citizens and gain firsthand knowledge of their challenges.
He said his administration would lead by example by ensuring that presidential holidays were spent in different parts of the country.
“As I have always done, I will lead by example. In four years as President of this great nation, I will not spend my holidays outside Nigeria,” Obi said.
He added that he would visit states including Zamfara, Borno, Kwara, Ebonyi, Edo and Ekiti, among others.
“I want to continue to see Nigeria. I want to know Nigeria. I want to spend time with Nigerians, listen to them, understand their challenges and celebrate their resilience,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor also promised to make governance measurable and accountable, with a focus on the welfare and productivity of Nigerians.
He said Nigerians would begin to see the impact of his administration within its first year in office.
“As President of Nigeria, I will make governance measurable, accountable and centred on the welfare and productivity of our people. Within the first year, Nigerians will begin to see the tangible impact of purposeful and effective leadership,” Obi said.
On insecurity, the NDC candidate pledged to tackle terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, saying farmers would be able to return to their farms, children would return to school and businesses would operate without fear.
“We will confront insecurity decisively so that our farmers can return to their farms, our children can return to school, businesses can operate freely, and families can live without fear,” he said.
Obi added that no Nigerian should be forced to live in an Internally Displaced Persons camp because of the failure of government to provide adequate security.
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The presidential candidate used the Independence Day address to criticise the APC-led Federal Government, arguing that Nigeria continued to face significant challenges despite promises made ahead of the 2023 elections.
He listed poverty, the high number of out-of-school children, terrorism, banditry and kidnapping among the challenges confronting the country.
“Despite the enormous promises made by the APC-led government in 2023, our nation continues to face deepening challenges across virtually every critical sector of national life,” he said.
According to Obi, Nigeria’s major problem was not a lack of resources but the failure of successive administrations to translate the country’s resources into human development, productivity, security and shared prosperity.
He also recounted his recent visit to Sokoto State with his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, where they held consultations on insecurity, poverty, unemployment, drug abuse and the growing number of out-of-school children.
Obi said their visit to an IDP camp in Ramin Kura, within Sokoto metropolis, highlighted the hardship experienced by displaced women and children.
He described the situation as a reflection of the suffering experienced in various parts of the country.
The former governor said political leaders had failed the country and called for a change in the way Nigeria was governed.
Obi’s latest pledge comes about a month after he criticised the practice of Nigerian presidents spending their holidays abroad.
He had argued that the President should use holiday periods to visit parts of the country facing security and developmental challenges.
“Nigeria’s President must spend his vacation in Nigeria. We cannot continue with this nonsense. Where do other countries’ own send their vacation?” Obi had said.
He maintained that, if elected, he would visit other countries in his official capacity but would spend his holidays in Nigeria.
When questioned about the security implications of spending vacation time in states affected by insurgency and banditry, including Borno, Obi argued that security concerns should not prevent the President from remaining in the country during holidays.
