Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has urged the Federal Government to focus on rehabilitating and completing existing infrastructure instead of embarking on new projects that could eventually be abandoned.

 

Obi, in a statement on Saturday, said he has consistently maintained that governments at all levels should prioritise fixing existing infrastructure before launching fresh projects. According to him, although the position has attracted criticism over the years, he believes it remains the most responsible and practical approach to governance.

 

He noted that President Bola Tinubu’s recent warning to state governors against constructing unnecessary flyovers in areas with little traffic aligns with the position he has long advocated.

 

According to Obi, the President’s comment underscores the need for governments to channel scarce public resources into projects that directly improve the lives of citizens rather than spending on developments with limited public value.

 

He, however, argued that the same standard should apply to the Federal Government, stressing that several costly projects currently being pursued by the administration could be considered unrealistic, especially when critical infrastructure across the country remains neglected.

 

Obi pointed out that many of Nigeria’s major highways connecting commercial hubs and food-producing communities have deteriorated significantly, describing them as death traps. He said restoring such infrastructure should take precedence over embarking on prestige projects that may not deliver immediate benefits to ordinary Nigerians.

 

Reflecting on his time as governor of Anambra State, Obi said his administration deliberately completed viable projects inherited from previous governments before initiating new ones. He maintained that governance is a continuous process and that development should be judged by the successful completion of projects and the value they bring to the people, not by who initiated them.

 

He concluded by saying that true leadership requires making difficult but necessary decisions, including repairing what is already broken, completing ongoing projects, and investing limited public funds where they will have the greatest impact on the largest number of citizens.

 

Obi ended the statement with his familiar slogan: “A New Nigeria is POssible.”