Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, has called for a drastic cut in the cost of governance, especially at the federal level, saying that the way things were going was unacceptable.

Mr Obi gave the advice on Monday in Ibadan during an interactive session with journalists shortly after paying a condolence visit to Governor Seyi Makinde at the government house over the January 16 Bodija explosion.

Mr Obi charged the federal government to initiate measures to pull Nigerians out of poverty, saying, “Elections are over, and governance is the key thing.”

“It’s a matter of sacrifice; elections are over, governance is the key thing, and what is required, for me in particular, is that we need to cut the cost of governance, especially at the federal level,” said Mr Obi.

He added, “It is unacceptable the way it is going. We need to prioritise critical areas such as education, health and pulling people out of poverty.”

Mr Obi urged the federal government to prioritise critical areas of the economy, such as education and health, given the present global reality.

The former Anambra governor charged Nigerians to contribute their quota toward turning around the country’s fortunes, saying everyone should be involved in its development.

He commiserated with Mr Makinde and the people of Oyo State over what he described as “an unfortunate incident”. He commended the state government “for responding promptly when the explosion occurred”.

Mr Makinde, who thanked Mr Obi for the visit, said an investigation was still ongoing to unravel the masterminds of the explosion.

(NAN)