JUSTIN IN: Peter Obi Speaks on Arise Tv "Unnecessary Question" About 1966 Coup

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, President Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, ha thanked many Nigerians who have reacted to an embarrassing and "unnecessary question posed to him during his appearance on Arise Tv.

The Television Anchor, Ojy Okpe, asked him his views on the 1966 coup and the subsequent civil war in Nigeria.

Even though Obi answered the question creditably, he later on took to his X handle to appreciate numerous Nigerian who reach him to express their sadness over the question.

Obi wrote: "Our National Tragedies are Resources for National Transformation

"I have received many calls and text messages from patriotic Nigerians who were annoyed that an Arise News anchor wanted me to answer questions about the 1966 coups, which were national tragedies. I reassured those patriots that, as a presidential candidate, I am ready and able to answer any questions about anything relating to Nigeria. I have a commitment to serve the people, not to hide from them.

As I travel across Nigeria and listen to Nigerians of all ethnic and religious identities, I have had opportunities to reflect on the many tragedies we have experienced in Nigeria, including the 1966 coups, the civil war, and the various mass violence that have plagued different parts of the country.

My view is that we could have avoided these tragedies if we had entrenched and implemented laws justly. These tragedies are the result of leadership failure. It is our responsibility to understand these failures and fix them.

The failure of leadership to guarantee all its citizens equal rights and freedoms, and to enforce the fundamental rights in the constitution without fear or favour.

We must focus on learning from our past. Mistakes in history are not fatal. They can become opportunities for transformation.

This happened in Japan. The Japanese miracle that took place between 1920 and 1970 was a product of patriotic leaders who used the Japanese trauma of colonial rule to drive miraculous economic development. South Korea followed Japan by weaponising cruel experiences under Japan to develop a policy framework of a developmental state, and became an economic giant under the inspiration of General Park from 1960. The same applies to China under Deng Xiaoping, who reinvented China from the tragedies of Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution and the many deaths of that ill-fated policy. Today, China is the second-largest economy in the world. What a transformation. That is our vision. That should also be our history.

For me, my responsibility as Nigerian President is to turn the pains and tragedies of the past into opportunities to make Nigeria united, stable, and prosperous.

We need a leadership that is not trapped in the past, a leadership that focuses on what binds us together rather than what divides us. At this point, we need a leader who believes in the destiny and future of Nigeria, a leader who publicly proclaims that all parts of Nigeria abound in human and natural resources, and that all parts of Nigeria can become productive and prosperous.

The difference in human history is having leaders who do not maximise those pasts for selfish ambition but leverage them to build a prosperous future for all.

Even in Africa, we can learn from Rwanda on how a recent terrible experience is being used to advance national unity and prosperity. We can do the same for Nigeria.

I am ready to speak about what the voters consider important. I am ready to comfort and console. I am ready to lead from the front as we work to turn away from the ugly past and into a future where no Nigerian will suffer on account of his or her ethnicity, religion, or social pedigree. Our past is important, but our past is not our destiny. Our future is what we do with our past. Our past is our resource for national transformation. We are ready to transform Nigeria.

A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO"