Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has reacted to the likelihood of a merger between the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Obi, in an interview on NoireTV-GlobalBlackTV released on YouTube on Saturday, also addressed the prospect of being supported as a Southeast candidate in the 2027 presidential election by Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s 2023 flagbearer.

Responding to the interviewer’s question, Obi expressed gratitude for Abubakar’s statement about potentially supporting him as a result of the South-East candidate. “I commend him and I’m grateful for his statements, especially where he said he will support me if it (the presidential ticket) goes to the South East,” Obi said.

However, Obi emphasised that his primary concern is not personal ambition or political maneuvering, but rather the well-being of Nigeria and its people. “I’m not desperate to be president, I’m desperate to see Nigeria work, especially for the poor people because we have a lot of potential,” he stated.

On the subject of a potential merger between the PDP and LP, Obi expressed openness to the idea, provided that the goal is to better govern Nigeria and unlock its vast potential. “If the merger is to be able to govern Nigeria properly, unlock all those things that will make Nigeria a better place, I’m for it,” he said.

Obi clarified that he has no interest in mergers or alliances solely to secure power or win elections.

“If it’s just a merger for election or state capture, I’m not for it or part of it, I don’t want to be part of anything like that,” he asserted.

The former Anambra State governor stressed the importance of unity and cooperation among individuals and parties, but only if the objective is to build a better Nigeria.

He said, “It might be at the party level, it might be at the individual level, might be at any level, but we must come together to be able to build a better Nigeria.”

Nigeria’s Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has condemned the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over poor implementation of the removal of subsidy from petroleum products as well as the floating naira.

Obasanjo said though the policies were necessary, they were wrongly implemented.

Obasanjo, according to a statement made available to journalists on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, also condemned Nigeria’s approach to the coup in the Republic of Niger.

He was said to have spoken in Abuja at the weekend at a  colloquium tagged: “Nigeria’s Development: Navigating the Way Out of the Current Economic Crisis and Insecurity.”

The ex-president said, “Today, the government has taken three decisions, two of which are necessary but wrongly implemented and have led to the impoverisation of the economy and of Nigerians. These are the removal of subsidy, closing the gap between the black market and official rates of exchange and the third is dealing with a military coup in Niger Republic.

“The way forward is production and productivity which belief and trust in government leadership will engender. No shortcut to economic progress but hard work and sweat.

“The economy does not obey orders, not even military orders. I know that. If we get it right, in two years, we will begin to see the light beyond the tunnel. It requires a change of characteristics, attributes, and attitude by the leadership at all levels to gain the confidence and trust of investors who have alternatives.”

Obasanjo added that the government must do more to attract foreign investments. He said, “Total Energy has gone to invest $6bn in Angola instead of Nigeria. If the truth must be stated, the present administration has not found the right way to handle the economy to engender confidence and trust for investors to start trooping in.

“They know us more than we know ourselves. And now they are laughing at us, not taking us seriously. We have to present ourselves in such a way that we will be taken seriously. If the existing investors are disinvesting and going out of our country, how do we persuade new investors to rush in?

“We can be serious if we choose to be but we need to change from transactional leadership in government to transformational and genuine servant leadership.

“With change by us, the investors will give us benefit of doubt, and security being taken care of on a sustainable long-term basis, they will start to test the water.

“ With the right economic policies, attribute of integrity and honesty of purpose, all should be well with all hands on deck and government becomes a catalyst for development, growth and progress.

To conclude on the economy, “tinkering with the exchange rate is not the answer. The answer is consistency and continuity in policy to ensure stability and predictability. That way, we will be sure to incentivize domestic and foreign investment.

“There must be honesty and transparency in government dealings and contracts and not lying with deception about these issues. When the government is seen as pursuing the right policy, the private sector will go for production and productivity.”

“Change is possible but it must begin with the leadership”.

The former President’s reaction to the refinery issue was coming barely six months after the claim that the refinery would begin operation in January.

He noted that to get out of the current situation of the country, the government and the governed needed to look at the past and the present, and ask: How do we get here?

“Looking at the topic of today’s occasion, the question I would ask is, how do we navigate our way out of these crises and pave the path towards a more secure and prosperous Nigeria? I believe the answer to this requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses the root causes of these challenges. The central questions are: where were we? And how did we get to where we are today?

According to Obasanjo: “Firstly, we must know where we are coming from. Our economy has consistently suffered from poor policies, lack of long-term sustainable policies, discontinuity, adhocry, and corruption firmed on personal greed, avarice, incompetence, lack of knowledge and understanding, and lack of patriotism.

“For instance, the statement and proposed actions given forty-five years ago to stop fuel scarcity is the same statement and action being touted today. I recall when I made the statement that the refineries would not work, the sycophants and spin doctors of this current administration went out to castigate me as not being a petroleum engineer and that I did not know what I was talking about.

“They forgot that the attempt that was made in 2007 to partly privatise the refineries was made by me after a thorough study of the situation. But the decision was reversed by my successor and the 750 million dollars paid was refunded.”

On a way out, the former President said the country needed “a 25-year socio-economic development agenda that will be generally agreed to, by the nation of all political parties and passed into law by the National Assembly with State Assembly aspects also passed into law by the State Houses of Assembly. We take up the implementation on a five-year basis. In reality, that plan will have the effect of almost a Constitution. The first priority in the implementation will be education for all.”

On the security, he said, “We need a stick-and-carrot approach. Stick to deal with those who cannot be weaned out of criminality and evil deeds and for those weaned, they should be rehabilitated.

“There should be no Nigerian without being in school compulsorily for eleven years – secondary education level.

“Employment must be a right for all Nigerians from age 18 years to 65 years.

“With such a carrot in position, the stick must then be made more severe for criminals. Five years must be set out to ensure that every Nigerian child that is not in school is in school and no one is left out of popular education”.

Africa’s Global Bank, the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc on Friday, 23rd of May, marked this year’s Africa day on, with fanfare. The event which was celebrated across the banks 20 African subsidiaries, including New York, UK, France and Dubai, culminated into a mini carnival at the corporate head office in Marina, Lagos as it witnessed  a rich culture of African people on display.

The bank said the event was aimed at encouraging Africans home and abroad to be patriotic and embrace their culture.

It was all colour and glitz as a troupe of dancers representing Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Zimbabwe, among other African countries, entertained the audience from the entrance of the building to its doorways through to the Tony Elumelu Amphitheatre Hall. Their overall performances exuded good vibes and earned them ovation from all.

Noting that Africa has unarguably positioned herself as the second largest continent in the world with its rich cultural heritage, the bank said the continent remains the only one in the world that was evidently bequeathed with the most colourful and distinctively diverse culture appreciated across the globe.

From her aesthetic art works, ethnic costumes, expressive dances, mind-blowing plethora of languages, amazing dishes, tourists attractions, and wildlife among others, Africa is seen as a world power that is yet to explore.

It is, therefore, to proudly and powerfully project her cultural heritage that UBA hosted the event in Lagos an to commemorate this year’s Africa Day. It said that part of its aim was for dignitaries to map out lasting solutions to persisting challenges in the continent.

Themed, “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Lifelong, Quality, and Relevant Learning in Africa,” for us at UBA, it only reinforces our belief and passion for education as exemplified in our foundations National Essay Competition where winners who emerge are given scholarships through school.

According to the Group Managing Director, United Bank for Africa, Oliver Alawuba, “We are in 20 African countries and four countries outside Africa. Our focus has always been on not only driving investments into Africa but also to empower Africa’s youth by honing the critical thinking prowess of our youth as well as groom them for leadership roles across the continent.

Alawuba said UBA aspires to develop and grow in the world, adding that unity is critical and very important in Africa hence the emphasis on how to change the narrative. “Unity is critical and very important for the future of Africa, we need to remain united to achieve our aspirations and the youth are critical to that growth”, he said.

Consequently, as one of Africa’s leading financial services institutions, with a pan-African footprint spanning 20 African countries and globally in the US, UK, the United Arab Emirates and France, UBA says it’s fully committed to unifying Africa and empowering youths for the future. It also continues to lead the narrative focused on the development, growth, and unity of Africa