Obi vows to pursue kidnappers into their hideouts

By Ike Uchechukwu CALABAR — The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has vowed that his administration would pursue kidnappers of schoolchildren into their hideouts, declaring that he would not be intimidated by criminal elements. Obi made the pledge on Wednesday at the party’s presidential town hall meeting at Metropolitan Hotel, Calabar, where he said Nigeria could no longer tolerate the prevailing level of insecurity.

“Under our watch, anybody that kidnaps schoolchildren and goes into that bush, we will be in that bush with him. We will be in that bush with him, wherever it is. We are not scared of him,” he declared. The former Anambra State governor said he and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, represented “a new Nigeria that is possible”. He noted that Kwankwaso had served as Minister of Defence, adding that securing the country would be a priority of their administration.

Obi identified national unity as the first task of an NDC government, arguing that a divided country would struggle to tackle insecurity effectively. He said this was also the message he conveyed during an earlier meeting with the Obong of Calabar. “Our commitment is to unite Nigeria. Nigeria today is not united. If we unite Nigeria today, we will have the strength to fight insecurity,” he said.

On education and healthcare, Obi described education as one of the most critical areas of national development and pledged that an NDC administration would prioritise both sectors. “We will invest in education. We will invest in health,” he said. He also described the NDC presidential ticket as a departure from the traditional approach to governance, saying he and Kwankwaso would work as partners to drive change.

“We represent a governance that people have not seen in Nigeria before. We used to have a president and a vice president. Now we are going to have partners driving change in Nigeria,” he said. On corruption, Obi said Nigerians could assess the records of both candidates, pledging that an NDC government would intensify the fight against the misuse of public funds.

“People know that we are fair, far less corrupt. We will fight corruption with every energy because we want people to stop stealing public money. “Public money must be used for public good. Public money must be used for the welfare of the people,” he said. Obi said the town hall meeting was organised to hear from residents and other stakeholders, urging participants to ask questions and make comments without restrictions.

“You are free to ask any question. No restriction. Make any comment. That is why we are here,” he said.