Former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential hopeful, Peter Obi, has said many Nigerians residing in South Africa would rather remain abroad despite xenophobic attacks than return home because of Nigeria’s worsening economic conditions.
Obi made the remark while addressing aspirants of the Nigeria Democratic Congress during a dinner held in Abuja shortly after his return from South Africa.
According to a statement released by the party’s media team on Tuesday, the former Labour Party presidential candidate said attempts were made to assist distressed Nigerians willing to return home, but many rejected the offer.
“I just came back last night from South Africa. You know what Nigerians are going through in South Africa and so many other African countries,” Obi said.
He explained that several Nigerians he interacted with insisted they preferred enduring hardship abroad because living conditions in Nigeria had become more difficult.
“If you don’t know, we provided facilities for them to come back. But most of them told me they would rather die there than come back. They said things are even worse at home,” he stated.
Obi also disclosed that he held meetings with former South African President Thabo Mbeki and other political leaders to discuss improving relations between South Africans and other African nationals living in the country.
The former governor criticised the Federal Government over what he described as inadequate support and engagement with Nigerians facing challenges abroad.
“It is not only in South Africa that Nigerians have problems, but they have problems in other countries. I have had cause to ask them if our government has visited and the answer is no,” he added.
Obi further lamented the state of insecurity in Nigeria, saying it was troubling that a country once known for peacekeeping operations across the world now struggled to guarantee internal security.
“Nigeria played a role in securing nations since the Second World War. But today, Nigeria cannot secure itself. This is unacceptable,” he said.
At the gathering, NDC National Leader, Seriake Dickson, explained why the party did not adopt electronic voting for its primaries, citing the need for further testing of the technology to avoid technical glitches.
Former Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Buba Galadima, also urged aspirants who may lose party tickets to remain loyal to the NDC and continue supporting the party ahead of future elections.
