Former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, has stated that tackling Nigeria's deepening insecurity requires a leadership style rooted in personal example, discipline, and everyday responsibility.
Leadership Rooted in Action, Not Just Words
Speaking during an interactive session on X Space on Sunday, Obi argued that the nation's security challenges have worsened because public accountability and ethical conduct have been abandoned by those in power. He emphasized that effective leadership begins with simple, personal actions that demonstrate integrity, asserting that such gestures often carry more weight than grand speeches.
Peter Obi maintained that leaders must first embody the values they expect from citizens, especially during periods of national strain. He connected this principle directly to the sacrifices demanded from ordinary Nigerians, stating that office holders must show the way through their own conduct.
The Aircraft Toilet Incident: A Lesson in Accountability
To crystallize his point, Obi recounted a personal experience from his time as a serving governor. He described a flight on British Airways where he encountered a badly soiled aircraft toilet.
According to his narration, a woman who worked with the Lagos State Government during Babatunde Fashola's administration opened the toilet, saw its deplorable state, and simply walked away. Obi, however, decided to handle the situation himself.
"I went in there, and she came back. The entire place was cleaned. She didn't even tell me, but she told a minister and somebody else where she works in the office," Obi explained.
He said the woman expressed disbelief, prompting her colleagues to contact him for confirmation. "I said I cleaned it because maybe I would be the next person that would go back there to use it," Obi stated, highlighting a pragmatic sense of responsibility.
A Call for Modesty and an End to "Fake Life"
Obi drew a direct lesson from the incident for national leadership. "When you see things that are wrong, clean them," he said, framing it as a metaphor for governance.
He extended this philosophy to his personal life, noting, "I don't have house help in my house; everybody knows that. Let us stop all this fake life." The former presidential candidate argued that Nigeria's economic and security problems demand leaders who live modestly and act with everyday responsibility.
Obi believes that this experience and outlook have equipped him to confront the country's multifaceted challenges if given a national mandate. His comments came alongside a strong condemnation of Nigeria's current security and governance situation, which he described as a cycle of avoidable tragedies driven by leadership failure.
He characterized recent events as a period marked by chaos, grief, and a severe erosion of public confidence, warning that the situation should alarm any nation with functional institutions.
