The Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last general election, Peter Obi, has called on elected public officers to relocate to their constituencies.
Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, also expressed concern over the plight of vulnerable and unemployed Nigerians whose survival is tied to their day-to-day activities.
He spoke on the heels of the total lockdown of the country being announced by federal and state governments.
The former Governor said that whilst all possible measures should be deployed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, appropriate measures should be taken to mitigate the suffering of the very vulnerable in our midst.
According to Obi in a statement from his media office and signed by Valentine Obienyem, his Media Adviser, “there are several millions of our populace who are unemployed and underemployed, whose means of livelihood depends on daily income which the present situation will definitely worsen.”
The noted that in locking down the country, such vulnerable people should be factored into government policies, as is the case in other countries, by putting measures in place to cushion the effects of the lockdown on them.
Obi, who expressed gratitude for the efforts of some Political leaders, Captains of Industry and Corporate Bodies, urged the Federal Government to do more to mitigate the situation, especially for poor Nigerians, as being witnessed in other climes.
According to the one-time Anambra State Governor, “it would be counter-productive to keep only the elite in mind when taking such far-reaching decisions as closing down markets without having some cushioning measures for the traders.”
Obi also has some drastic suggestions for elected leaders in the country as he says to them: “This is the time to be with your people in your various constituencies.”
He said it does not make sense that elected public officials, especially the Legislators, should be observing the stay-at-home in various places outside their constituencies at this trying time, instead of being with their constituents to help their people to find solutions to their problems and challenges.
Obi said that by being in their constituencies to monitor the situation, the elected leaders will be in a position not only to support their people in their time of need, but to also properly advice government on how to address the fallouts of government policies.
Finally, Obi called on leaders of all segments of society to make sacrifices and show commitment at this critical period in the history of our dear nation.
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