Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate for the Labour Party, has criticized the Federal Government for continuing to bestow national honors on politicians and has called for the honoring of those who have actually contributed to the advancement of the country.
Obi pushed for a reexamination of the national award-giving process during Thursday’s public presentation of “The Chronicles of a Legend,” a biography of business tycoon and philanthropist Gabriel Igbinedion, in Abuja. Obi stated that the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) and the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) ought to be for industrious individuals and business owners rather than politicians. “The way we honor people needs to change.” He insisted that those like Igbinedion are more worthy of receiving national honors and more public exposure, and he praised him for his contributions to important fields like aviation, education, and cultural preservation.
People that shouldn’t be celebrated are celebrated in our nation. The celebration we are having for him today would have been more meaningful if we had,” Obi stated.
Noting the businessman’s enormous contribution to employment, he also emphasized Igbinedion’s role in job creation.
The former governor of Anambra State stated, “Igbinedion employed over 17,000 Nigerians, so if we had been a productive nation, over 20 million Nigerians would have been employed.”
