Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has stated that opinions highlighting Nigeria’s shortcomings should be used to prioritise development decisions and policies rather than vilifying those who express such views.

“It’s not enough to resort to blind patriotism by vilifying those who point out our shortcomings.

“Instead, we should use these criticisms as a catalyst to prioritize critical areas of development and improve the lives of our people,” Obi posted on his X handle on Tuesday.

He cited several examples, including recent remarks by the Leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, who criticized Nigeria for some of its failings and raised concerns about the urgent need to improve the welfare of Nigerians.

Obi noted that despite some of the views and suggestions offered by critics dating back several years, the country has made little progress in addressing these issues.

He wrote, “Recently, Nigerian-born Kemi Badenoch, a leader in the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, took a serious swipe at our dear country.

“She stated that she would not want Britain to become like poor Nigeria, where a failed government destroys lives.

“Nigerians have had mixed reactions to her comments, some have criticised her, while others feel she simply stated the obvious and should not be vilified.

“A few years ago, a respected Nigerian newspaper criticized an informational piece aimed at Americans intending to visit Nigeria, which described the country in very unflattering terms.

“The travel advisory highlighted two major challenges: poor infrastructure and insecurity.

“Anyone familiar with the Nigerian landscape knows that our performance in these two areas is horrendously low. And sadly, the U.S. embassy did not shy away from pointing this out.

“On health, the advisory confirmed that while Nigeria has well-trained health professionals, the country lacks quality healthcare facilities.

“It was noted that essential medications, including those for diabetes and hypertension, are often unavailable, and that medicine should be purchased with extreme caution due to counterfeit risks.

“Five years after those remarks, the situation remains largely unchanged, if not worse. International reproach, such as that from Badenoch, and negative reviews on official websites warning citizens about the country should serve as a challenge for us to do better.

“It’s not enough to resort to blind patriotism by vilifying those who point out our shortcomings.”

Obi recommended, “When negative remarks are featured on a country’s official websites, warning citizens to avoid certain risks, how can we expect to attract investors?

“These painful rebukes, including those coming from our own people, should push us to strive for a new Nigeria that is possible.” (Nigerian Tribune)