40 Popular Quotes from Peter Obi – Nigerian Leaders on Nation-Building

The 2023 Nigerian elections have come and gone yet many of the sayings from foremost candidate, Peter Obi before/during the elections continue to be referenced.

Here are 40 of them:

1. “If you must be referred to as your excellency, then the process through which you arrived in the office must be excellent.”
2. “I’m not promising Nigerians happiness. It’s the entertainment business that promises happiness. I promise change and progress,” 
3. “Leadership is about accountability because people don’t do what is expected. They do what’s inspected.”
4. “We will use merit to employ, dramatically reduce poverty and return Nigeria to a place of strategic relevance with high value”.
5. “Insecurity is a result of ineffective security strategy, address this by projecting strong leadership, state security and pursue a robust reform of security sector”
6. “Borrowing must be for productive purposes, not consumption… enhance human capital development in our youths through investment in education, research and quality health” – Peter Obi
7. “ I will conduct an Afro-centric policy that will protect the rights of Nigerians abroad, advance the rights of Nigerians businesses abroad”
8. “ The problem of Nigeria is based on complex leadership… lead Nigeria for an inclusive and sustaining Nigeria that works for all”
9. “To you, young people, Take Back your Country…it is your future they are toying with”.
10. “Those who steal, if they come to church they will give them front seats, so, why would they not steal? They are the ones who are given chieftaincy tittles, they are the ones who get tittles in the world. So, we need to change all that.”
11. “I reduced my convoy to 5 vehicles and you cannot buy fuel unless I am in the car”.
12. “If I sleep in a hotel and have to pay N250k a night, I will be awake all night…feeling like I was robbed”.
13. “It is just that we have a government that has criminalised the society and people celebrate criminality. So, nobody could say to them, stop.” – Peter Obi
14. “You know there are many big men in Anambra state, so when they want to see me, I say to them I will come to you instead”.
15. “We handed schools back to Churches and by 2013, we were number one in WAEC.”
16. “I beg you to participate more in politics, the society we help them abuse today will take its revenge tomorrow.”
17. “What I found in Nigerians and your parents here, including me, I am a victim of that, I was governor for eight years, you can hardly see anybody who tells you something is wrong.
18. “The only way out of recession is to spend for growth. You can only spend for growth either from savings or from borrowing.
19. The question is: what are you borrowing for?
20. Are you borrowing for consumption or for production?
21. When you borrow for consumption, you are heading for disaster.”
22. ” I had to stop the Presidential lodge in Anambra… A project awarded at 400million. I had to close down state house in Lagos and Abuja… Because I felt we dont need it…. Even when other states had.”
23. “I am going to celebrate and invest in Tech. We’re going to use tech everywhere. We were the first state govt to put internet in all the secondary schools”
24. “When you have a candidate that has global exposure, it would be difficult to be a tribal bigot.”
25. “You don’t just open shop and start begging for money. People need to see your efforts and the extent your strength could take you before your start making demands for support”
26. “I will make Nigeria a Giant, not just in name but in existence, we will be able to stand up to every Nation on Earth as a true Giant”
27. “I will make Nigeria a giant in name and in existence. We will stand up to any nation on earth. Otherwise, they should just call us any name they like.”
28. “There must be some people who don’t like me. If everyone likes me, I would stop campaigning. Because I would know something is wrong.”
29. “I told the Canadian Ambassador that I don’t want Nigeria to be invited to the G20 or G40 or whatever as an observer but as an active member.”
30. “People will say my plans are lofty. But country after country has done it. So it’s doable”
31. “I am the only governor in Nigerian history who finished eight years, left money, built infrastructure, owed no contractor, salary or pension”
32. “Do not vote for anybody because he is from your area or tribe, or because of religion, please. Nobody, no religion buys bread cheaper, no tribe buys bread cheaper; that is what politicians are using to manipulate us. And do not vote for anybody because it is his turn. It is the turn of Nigerians to take back their county”
33. “No Nation can survive without saving for tomorrow”.
34. “Government does not create job, it only facilitate job creation”.
35. “Government borrowing to do flyover bridges when the main road is not good”.
36. “In Nigeria, nobody tells you the truth when you are in power”
37. “We want government that will make people to earn a living, government that will give the youth job, we want a country where a son of nobody, a daughter of nobody will be somebody, and it will happen in this country. So I urge you, please, remain prayerful, ask questions about those you want to vote for, ask for their background.”
38. “Everybody calls you his excellency, that since you came, things have changed, even, when you know that nothing has changed.
39. “I requested Obasanjo to spend the nights in my lodge Since they said he must sleep over… I asked my wife to pack out of my bedroom… We went opposite to lodge in a hotel (name mentioned) for the week, we paid N30,000 instead of N100,000.” – Peter Obi
40. “I used the 150million for 2 bullet proof cars to buy almost 50 Peugeot cars at 3 million each.. gave 17 to judges and 18 to permanent Secretaries (because i discovered they did not have cars) and kept 10 for govt house… which I used as Governor… I did not use bullet proof cars as Governor.”