Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said that addressing corruption in Nigeria can begin at the household level and is not as complex as widely perceived.

Obi made the remarks during a talk show with students of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi on Friday, where he discussed youth leadership and governance.
“We are talking about corruption, but let me tell you, fighting corruption is not as difficult as people make it look,” Obi said. “If you, your wife, and children are not stealing, you have reduced corruption by 60 per cent.”

He referenced his time in the banking sector, stating that he had served as chairman of a bank during a period when some board members in the industry used their positions to secure insider loans.
“Go and check any bank where I was a director or chairman, where that bank gave me a loan as a director,” he said. “Go and check whether there was anything missing while I was there.”

Obi also pointed to his two-term tenure as governor of Anambra State as an example of public service without financial misconduct.
“I served as governor of a state for eight years, and I challenge everybody to go and show me where one kobo of Anambra State that I’m not entitled to was linked to me,” he said.
He maintained that corruption can be tackled quickly if there is political will and a disciplined leadership approach.

Speaking on his political ambitions, Obi said he would serve only one term if elected president in 2027.
“If I have the opportunity to serve as Nigeria’s president in 2027, I will do so for only four years. It can be less, but it will never be more. I will not stay a day longer than four years,” he said.

Responding to doubts about what could be achieved within a single term, Obi said institutional changes could begin immediately with the right leadership. “People say, What can you do in four years? There is a lot you can do in four years because you can bring civility and laws that start good governance,” he said.