PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi, on Saturday, February 11, said his government will apologise to all victims of police brutality, if he is elected in the forthcoming February 25 presidential election.
Obi made the promise while addressing his supporters during a campaign rally at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), in Onikan, Lagos.
“For those who have suffered in the hands of government, we will apologise to them. We will make sure that it never happens again. Nigeria will be a peaceful country.”
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According to him, the country’s security agents will no longer be used for harassing citizens.
Obi assured that security outfits will do their jobs professionally, pledging that more training will be provided for them if he gets elected.
According to the former Anambra State governor, “The police will be a friend, not an enemy. They will do the work of policing. We will not have all these problems we currently have.”
The 61-year-old candidate pledged to ensure the supremacy of law and order, while the country’s security and unity would be paramount.
He further assured his supporters that his administration would ensure press freedom as journalists would be allowed to constructively criticize government programmes and policies.
Obi’s promise is coming two years after the October 2020 #EndSARS protests which involved thousands of Nigerians across the country demanding extensive police reforms.
Commenting on the economy, the Labour Party flagbearer derided the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for its management of the economy, saying the number of people in poverty had risen from 65 million before it came into power in 2015 to 85 million about seven years after.
He accused the current government of producing poverty, joblessness, university lecturers’ strikes, and “one form of suffering or the other”.
Obi promised to increase the nation’s foreign reserves through agriculture and stability of the currency.
“No Nigerian will be ethnocentric but a Nigerian. We want Nigerians to celebrate their passport,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor said if elected, his administration would work hard to secure people from poverty, moving Nigeria from consumption to production.
“Lagos will remain the centre of excellence and finance,” he said. “Nigeria has all the endowment to be a great country.”
According to him, under an Obi administration, there will be an enabling environment for business and “our gas will be developed to give more money than oil”.
He added that his government will support the youth for enterprise, saying, “Our achievements will be measurable.”
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.