Nigeria needs serious prayers from all quarters to survive the crippling recession as well as withstand the impending collapse staring her dangerously in the face. This is the belief of former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi. He brought the message home while speaking recently during the 9th Diocesan Women Conference of Ebenezer Anglican Church, Unubi, Anambra State.
Addressing the crowd of Christian mothers, an obviously concerned Obi said: “Our dear country is the only country in the world that has as many as 11 million children out of school. Between 70 and 80% of this scary figure do not have jobs. So why can’t there be agitations all over the place? Be it Biafra, Arewa, Niger Delta . . . it’s just because of one thing – accumulated leadership failure all through the years since independence. But it’s not just the situation we find ourselves today that is the headache. The real scary problem is that it will even get worse as we move into the future. When all these people without jobs get to retirement age and there’s nothing to fall back on, then the real danger comes in the open.”
Obi, who recalled that he approved 80 Million Naira for the construction of the Diocesan Hospital and School of Nursing in the spirit of the partnership between the Anambra State Government and the Church, regretted not completing the project before he left office. He said his government had the money to have completed the project like some others before he handed over, but that he was planning for a smooth continuity and had to set aside money for many projects so that his successor would have something to start running with immediately he assumed office. He promised to continue to assist the Diocese.
Earlier, Bishop Ephraim Ikeakor of the Anglican Diocese of Amichi thanked the former Governor for his continued interest in the progress of the state, while calling on his continued assistance towards the completion of the Diocese’s Hospital and School of Nursing.
