Obi, former governor of Anambra State in the South East region of Nigeria said this on Tuesday in a series of posts he made on his X (formerly Twitter) as Nigeria join other countries of the world to commemorate this year’s World Day of Social Justice.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has said that social injustice is so pronounced in Nigeria to the extent that the country is currently ranked 158 out of 190 countries globally and 120 out of 142 countries measured on adherence to the rule of law in the 2023 Global Rule of Law Index released by the World Justice Project.
Obi, former governor of Anambra State in the South East region of Nigeria said this on Tuesday in a series of posts he made on his X (formerly Twitter) as Nigeria join other countries of the world to commemorate this year’s World Day of Social Justice.
According to Obi, social injustice is pronounced in Nigeria as a result of obvious disunity among the Nigerian people, stressing that Nigeria remains sharply divided along tribal and religious lines.
He noted that Nigeria’s social cohesion index remains weak at 39.6%, according to a 2022 report by Africa Polling Institute, adding that another factor fueling social injustice in Nigeria is the disregard for the rule of law.
He said, “Today, I join the global community in Commemorating the World Day of Social Justice. Social justice entails that everyone no matter their status in society deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities.
“This Day presents us the opportunity for sober reflections, especially we the leaders, whose actions and inactions have far-reaching impacts on the people we lead. We must understand today that the people must be at the center of governance.”
Obi said that “In our nation Nigeria, social justice demands that we offer equal access to education, health, well-being, and opportunities for advancement to every Nigerian irrespective of ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, or social status.
“As I have always maintained, we must build a nation where people’s talents, skills, and hard work will match their opportunities in life, irrespective of their station in society. Regrettably, though, social injustice has continued to plague Nigerian society.
“With Nigeria ranking low in Social Justice, currently ranked 158 out of 190 countries measured, we must identify and tackle this abnormality in the nation. Social injustice is pronounced in Nigeria owing majorly to the obvious disunity among the Nigerian people.
“Nigeria remains sharply divided along tribal and religious lines. Our social cohesion index remains weak at 39.6%, according to a 2022 report by Africa Polling Institute. Another factor fueling social injustice in Nigeria is the disregard for the rule of law.
“The 2023 Global Rule of Law Index released by the World Justice Project, ranked Nigeria at 120 out of 142 countries measured on adherence to the rule of law. With the Nigerian people facing many complex challenges ranging from insecurity, poverty, unemployment, inflation, and so on, the government needs to take urgent steps to ameliorate the burdens borne by the masses by ensuring that they come up with people-oriented policies that will help, protect and encourage the masses, especially the less privileged.
“By so doing, we will ensure that every Nigerian gets an equal opportunity to live decently, fully explore their potential, and make a meaningful impact in society. Nigeria desperately needs to evolve rapidly into a fair society.”