2023: PETER OBI ON A LIVE INTERVIEW AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, USA

Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi spoke on PROSPECTS OF TRANSFORMATIVE GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA at Harvard University, USA.

My top priorities on getting into office :

- - Production-centered growth for food security and export.

- - Securing and Uniting Nigeria.

- - Effective legal and institutional reforms (rule of law, corruption and government effectiveness).

- - Leapfrogging Nigeria from oil to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

- - Expanding physical infrastructure through market-driven reforms (unleashing growth-enabling entrepreneurship and market-creating innovations).

- - Human capital development that empowers competitiveness; and Robust foreign policy that restores Nigeria’s strategic relevance.

- We are spending more on recurrent expenses. And we are borrowing frivolously. I am not against loans per se; but we must stop borrowing for consumption. All loans must be invested in regenerative projects. We must operate within available resources and strive for a balanced national budget as cost saving measures. Ending the leakages including the subsidy regime and improving our tax regime should do the magic.

- Lack of political will and lack of synergy between the Executive and Legislative arms has resulted in a costly inertia in tackling our oversized government. The result is persisting turf fights and competition among several overlapping agencies, and the resultant wastages. Cost-cutting measures must start with rationalization and harmonization. Pruning the size of government will be imperative.