Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticized the state of governance in Nigeria, lamenting that public servants and politicians are enriching themselves while hardworking citizens are neglected.

Speaking on Tuesday at the Godfrey Okoye School of Nursing Sciences in Enugu, where he donated N20 million to support the institution, Obi said, “It is not easy to be working in our country today, because those who work are not cared for, those who don’t work, which are the government officials and politicians, are busy stealing up the money.”

Citing alarming reports from the World Bank and UNICEF on poverty and malnutrition, Obi said, “We’ve turned governance into a crime scene. Instead of using the resources to do the right thing, we’re using it to do the wrong thing.”

He pointed to Nigeria’s critical shortage of nurses, stating the country needs 1.2 million nurses but has fewer than 200,000 registered. He encouraged students to take their education seriously, noting that Nigeria and the world need their skills.

Praising volunteer and faith-based contributions to healthcare, Obi said, “What you people are doing is what we are supposed to be doing in government. That’s what the job of government is.”

In response, the Proprietor of the school and Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, Most Rev. Dr. Callistus Onaga, commended Obi’s efforts, saying, “We are praying for you… not everybody likes trying to look into the plight of the poor people but you have done it.” He added, “What we are praying is that your dream of Nigeria must come through… the truth has to be said, things are not working out well in our country.”