Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023, says Nigeria can afford basic necessities as a country, noting that they are often not prioritised due to incompetent leadership.
In a series of posts published via X on Tuesday, the former governor of Anambra recalled meeting a young Nigerian who had just graduated from nursing school in the US and was visiting Nigeria for the first time with her parents on an Air Peace flight.
Obi said during the trip, the lady shared her “sadness and confusion” about the current state of Nigeria, while asking questions about why basic things are difficult to get in the country.
The former governor of Anambra said she narrated her experience at a government-owned hospital in Nigeria when her sister had a domestic accident.
“On arrival, even though her sister’s hand was bleeding, the hospital staff insisted that payment must be made before any treatment could begin,” Obi wrote.
“Shocked, they asked the hospital attendant whether he truly did not see the urgency of the situation. In response, they were shown other patients with even worse conditions who were also being left unattended because they had not paid.
“They eventually paid, and it was time for the blood test. Traumatised, they realised the hospital had only one blood-testing machine for all patients, and it was not being sterilised between uses.
“When she raised concerns that the equipment had not been properly sterilised, they were bluntly told to stop asking questions if they wanted her sister to be treated. Despite their payment, they had to buy all the items needed for her treatment.
“She found it hard to believe because, according to her training and every hospital she had visited, treatment comes first – payment comes later.
“She told me they had considered organizing a GoFundMe to support healthcare back home, but relatives warned them that any money raised would likely be embezzled.
“Then she said something that struck me deeply: ‘I now understand what happened to Boxer Joshua. This is why there was no ambulance to rush him to a nearby hospital’.
“She wondered aloud whether it was simply because the country is poor. Yet she added that she would willingly offer her skills and service for free and help raise money to make things better.”
The former presidential candidate said after listening to the lady’s lamentation, he encouraged her not to lose hope in the country.
Obi said the money used for the refurbishment of the International Conference Centre in Abuja and the residence of Vice-President Kashim Shettima should have been used to buy ambulances for emergency treatment.
“Nigeria can afford basic necessities, especially critical and necessary ones, but they are often not considered priorities due to incompetent leadership.
“A standard ambulance costs about ₦150 million ($100,000). Nigeria spent ₦39 billion refurbishing the National Conference Centre in Abuja and ₦21 billion rebuilding the vice president’s residence.”
