Peter Obi Begs Nigerians To Drill 200,000 Boreholes

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has appealed to privileged Nigerians to fund the drilling of 200,000 boreholes across the country to solve the problem of clean water.

The former governor of Anambra State made the appeal on Wednesday at a press briefing in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

Obi said noble Nigerians should support investment in the education and health sectors for the benefit of the masses.

He said 70 percent of Nigeria’s wealth is in the hands of about 1 percent of citizens noting that if point one percent of the population about 200,000 rich Nigerians can deploy their resources to provide the basic needs of the poor in our midst, the situation will not be as deplorable.

He charged governments at all levels to ensure that resource deployment is aimed at improving the living standards of the poor and pulling them out of poverty.

The LP standard bearer said that his plea in these two areas derives from his discoveries after taking a humanitarian tour of some areas in the country that opened his eyes to the abject poverty a large segment of Nigerians were exposed to.

Obi used the occasion to announce the completion of the construction of ten boreholes in some Northern States for a short-term water supply for the poor and vulnerable.

He noted that if 200,000 rich Nigerians join him to do the same in the area of their choice, it would go a long way to solve the water needs of the poor.

Obi said, “I am carrying out a campaign to make the rich in our midst do more in providing water to our rural poor and helping to pull the out-of-school children off the streets for proper development.

“This is the time to cut waste, our larger population can’t be suffering conspicuous lack of basic needs like water and we live lavish lifestyles in their midst, our crisis of insecurity and other challenges derives from poverty and it’s our responsibility to pull people out of poverty through good education.”

Speaking about what he would do differently if he becomes President following his criticism of coastal roads, the LP flag bearer said, “I cannot embark on a new road when we can’t connect our states and cities in all the geopolitical zones because of bad roads. I will first fix the roads and move the economy.”

In 2027, Obi said his concern now is how to see Nigeria work not the election, “Only God can tell who can run for election in future, my interest now is the poor and how to see Nigeria work.

Speaking about the internal wrangling in his party, the Labour Party, Obi said, “What is happening in Labour Party is child’s play compared to what is going on in APC and PDP.”

The ex-presidential candidate also said a team of auditors have commenced the audit of the Labour Party but it might take them “months” or even “years” to conclude the audit of the party and file in their reports.

Responding to a question that he did not build any new school when he was Governor of Anambra state, the former Anambra state Governor said those who said that failed to avail themselves of his manifesto.

He explained that when he came to Anambra state, education was in shambles, schools were closed and the state was number 26 in the country but by the time he left, Anambra was number one in the state.

Obi said, “I improved the quality, physical and mental well-being of the people, schools, had the basic things they needed and the people shone like stars and that was my manifesto. Building new schools when the old ones are moribund is just like building coastal lines when internal roads are impassable.”