Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi has said that insecurity in Nigeria leaves him in a constant state of fear.
He stated this in an address at the 8th convocation ceremony of Veritas University in Abuja on Saturday.
Describing the present security situation as totally “totally unacceptable”, the ex-governor noted that only employment could curb the trend.
The 2019 vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) added that aside security, Nigeria was also not presently doing well on the economic and other fronts, despite the present administration’s claims.
However, the businessman-cum-politician advised the graduating students to show innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship to arrest the nation’s abysmal situation.
In the same vein, Obi berated the Nigerian elite for going around in large convoys to prove their worth.
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He recalled how as Anambra governor he discovered that 13 vehicles in his 20-vehicle convoy were empty.
The ex-governor noted that this symbolised the custom of unnecessary wasting of the nation’s resources that must be discouraged.
“We have to be innovative in politics. We have to get the right people who are prepared to save this country. We are in a bad situation. I am in a bad situation. Anybody who tells you that we are doing well is lying. I live in fear every day.
“The insecurity is totally unacceptable. One of the greatest cures for insecurity is to get people employed. Let us shut down the cost of governance.
“You see big people going round with 15 or 20 vehicles and causing confusion all over the place and disturbing public peace and everybody with his own big title.
“If I was coming here with 20 policemen, to Nigerians, that shows I am ‘Your Excellency’. That is irresponsibility; it doesn’t happen anywhere in the world.
“There is no place in the world that I have seen where one man moves around with 22 vehicles. It is madness. I used it as a governor. You will not believe it. I used it as a governor until I asked to find out one day how many of the cars people were occupying, and about 13 of the cars were empty.
“So the cars were creating a nuisance for the public and making things difficult for the travelling people and in Nigeria, that shows you are powerful. You are in power.
“That’s why I said if we are going on this path, there will be a collapse. This will lead us to nowhere.
“Today, Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa, followed by South Africa and Egypt. If you combine these countries, their Gross Domestic Product is not up to Apple, an international technology company. So Apple is actually worth more than these three African giants. That is what knowledge can do,” Obi said.