Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Peter Obi on Tuesday dismissed President Bola Tinubu’s claim that he failed to tackle erosion while governing Anambra State, insisting he helped design the intervention programme still in use today.
Speaking in an interview on Rhythm FM Jos ahead of an NDC town hall meeting in Plateau State, Obi said Tinubu’s remarks at an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, over the weekend were inaccurate.
“On what the president said while campaigning in Akwa Ibom, it’s not true. I, working with the former minister of environment, developed what they’re using today to fight erosion,” Obi said.
He added that he had personally approached the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua with a proposal. “I went to President Yar’Adua, made a suggestion to him. He called the minister and said he should go and develop it.”
Obi served as Anambra governor from 2006 to 2014, a period when several communities suffered severe erosion that destroyed homes, roads and other infrastructure. Tinubu had alleged that the former governor “ran away from erosion” while highlighting projects carried out in Lagos.
The NDC candidate also defended his decision to visit Plateau State and engage residents before political rallies, saying leaders must first understand the problems facing the people. He identified insecurity in parts of the North-Central region as a major concern, stressing that Nigerians should be able to return to their communities, conduct business and farm without fear of attacks.
Obi said an administration under him would prioritise education, healthcare and insurance for vulnerable citizens. “Unless children go to school without fear, unless parents go to farms without fear, we don’t have a country,” he said.
“You cannot stay in a developing country and a developing world if you have poor health accessibility and poor education accessibility. Education and health are the foundation for development. I will invest in them.”
