Peter Obi Tasks Architects on Commitment to take Country to Eldorado

Sunday Okobi

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has stated that for Nigeria to reach its enviable socio-economic and developmental height, it requires extraordinary commitment from the people and their leaders.

Speaking recently at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) in Calabar, Cross River State, the LP standard bearer listed what he called 4Cs ‘competence, capacity, credibility and commitment’, as critical requirements to turn the country around.

At the conference with a theme: ‘Architecture: A Resource for Health and Wellbeing’, Obi said: “We must aspire to put in place a leadership that is imbued with competence, capacity, credibility and commitment. These 4Cs are leadership competencies required to turn Nigeria around.

“What is grossly missing in Nigeria’s leadership, governance and the economic realm is the lack of efficiency. Good governance and a prosperous and stable economy are routinely anchored on sectoral and holistic pursuit of efficiency.”

He told the architects that Nigeria has high and severe housing deficit to the point that the country needs 28 million houses to be built to meet the national needs, and by estimation, “this will cost about N60 trillion.

The former Anambra State governor said what his presidency would do if given the mandate is to partner a professional body like the NIA and create the enabling environment via the right of making laws; regulating and preserving of property; employing the force of the community, and public good.

He noted that the dearth of vision and commitment in our political leadership over time is having effect in all sectors, noting that: “What is grossly missing in Nigeria’s leadership, governance and economic realm is the lack of efficiency. Good governance and a prosperous and a stable economy are routinely anchored on sectoral and holistic pursuit of efficiency.”

According to him, “If Datti and I are hired by Nigerians on February 25, 2023, we will pursue intangible assets of good governance, rule of law, security of lives and property, but for this to happen, there must be elite consensus on critical national interest questions.

“We are also aware that our existing national infrastructures are decrepit and crumbling. We are facing challenges in housing, and our country has been inconsistent in our infrastructural planning and funding. This is an area we must tackle urgently.”

Obi further remarked that as a first step, their presidency must start with rethinking the fundamentals of the nationhood and how to collectively unite and secure Nigeria and move it from good to great.

He said: “Good governance simply translates to eight critical governance values, namely: a government being accountable, transparent, responsive, equitable and Inclusive, effective and efficient; and adherence to the rule of law, as well as participatory and consensus-oriented governance.

“With the mandate of  Nigerians the Obi-Datti administration, from its inception, will continue to encourage investment in infrastructure-housing, energy, transport, irrigation, and telecoms-to grow these and other sectors.

“We are eager to quickly close the infrastructure gap between now and 2030. That is the Nigeria we want in place by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target year.”

Obi also charged the architects to bear in mind some fundamental requirements of their profession in contemplating on ‘Housing and Design Excellence for National Development’ which includes Design for the future and economic and social wellbeing; to think of demographic in our designs; design and build for public good.