In a recent video shared on YouTube by Sahara TV, former presidential candidate Peter Obi stressed the importance of collaboration between governors and the president to ensure effective governance and security.
He highlighted the need for governors to take charge of their states’ security and shared an instance from his tenure as governor of Anambra.
Obi recounted an incident where President Yar’Adua allegedly granted him the authority to address a security issue by “removing a village.”
He explained that he had identified a village as a problem area and proposed demolishing everything there.
According to Obi, President Yar’Adua supported his decisions, giving him the authority to take action to level a notorious criminal hideout called Akpaka Forest.
In Peter Obi’s words
: “Yar’Adua asked me to go and remove a village.
I said listen, I have a problem with this village, I said we must demolish everything there. When I became governor, the past traditional ruler of Onitsha is there, Obi of Onitsha, there is a place called Akpaka forest. That was where all the criminals were.
And I said you see this forest Mr President, I want to level it, I don’t want it to be a forest again.
He said do whatever you want, today it is the best habitable place in the area of Onitsha.
We levelled it but the president gave us the authority. He didn’t say no, he said go and level it if that is what you want to do. So you need a president who is determined, gives the governor authority and the governor takes the authority and goes and does it”.
