Obi urges Nigerians to join forces in fight against corruption

The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Peter Obi has urged Nigerians to join forces in the fight against corruption in the country.

Obi made the call in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja.

“We should look at the effect of corruption and go on to deal with it in the way it should.

“It is important that everybody become part of those trying to stop it because it kills three things that try to make society work.

“It kills entrepreneurship, professionalism and hard work, it is not about shouting about it, but dealing with it,’’ Obi said.

On the country’s rating by the World Economic Forum, Obi said Nigeria could perform better with focus on the various key indicators.

“I have been a governor, and I know how to change this things. We took education from being number 24 to number 21.

“So, you don’t say you are doing it, you need to show an empirical evidence where it is done and done right, if you do the right things you get the right results, it is simple.

“We need to get it better, the rating now is not where we should be, Nigeria is too important, it is the main driver of the continent, we must get it right and all we need is good leadership,’’ he said.

Ms Elsie Kanza, the Head of Africa, World Economic Forum, who also spoke to NAN, urged Nigeria and other African countries to improve on the key indicators so the continent could have higher footing.

She said: “based on the different indicators, it is important to note that Africa is still lagging behind the rest of the world’’.

“So, it is not just Nigeria, everyone needs to improve so that the continent has a higher footing.’’

According to Kanza, infrastructure remains one of the key areas that need improvement on the continent.

She said with sufficient investments in the country, the infrastructure gap would he filled, adding that human capital was another area that needed attention.

“The level of education and the ability to have skills that match what industry needs today as well as tomorrow in the contest of fourth industrial revolution is an area where Africa is lagging far behind.

“We need the private sector to step up and play an active role and also engage with the academia, and training institutions and citizens themselves to support government efforts.

“We are also lagging behind in terms of technology adoption.

“Only about 20 per cent of Africans are connected to the digital economy, and this is also an area which we are lagging behind and that affects competitiveness.

“Technology improves productivity and the reports focus on how to improve productivity,’’ Kanza said.