Obi, was apparently responding to critics after he faulted the Federal Government’s timing and prioritisation of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.
He had posited that the government should concentrate on fixing bad roads across Nigeria instead of embarking on a white elephant project like the major coastal road.
However, speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, Obi said he was disappointed, pointing out that people often demurred when it comes to discussing important issues affecting the country.
“We live in a system where public officeholders and politicians are only seen during elections. I can tell you that it is an everyday job. I have said it several times that I am not desperate to become the president of Nigeria. But I am desperate to see the poor and less privileged Nigerians being pulled out of their difficult situation daily,” the former Anambra governor said.
“That is what I am desperate to see. And all of us can do it as well. You can’t even be happy or fulfilled when several million (Nigerians) don’t know where the next meal will come from. When I see children suffering, it increases my pain. This is not about campaign.
“If I were to be the president of Nigeria today, nobody would think of any new road until we finish the existing ones. In this country, we are always trying to do things anyhow. Today, you can’t move from Lagos to Badagry, a short period of fewer than 100 kilometres. It has been under construction for several years. Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has also not been completed for several years.
“The same thing applies to the Kano-Kaduna, Kano-Maiduguri and Sokoto-Funtua. I can even show you the state of all the roads from Kaduna to Abuja. In Kaduna bypass alone, you can queue for hours. You can’t even drive comfortably from Abuja to Okene to Auchi and Benin. It is almost impossible.
“These are roads that already exist and have been in dire need of repairs for years. That is where we need to put our resources and deal with it. We already have a network of roads that need fixing. Why are people introducing things when the existing ones are in bad shape?
“When I was governor of Anambra State, I started by completing the roads started by my predecessor before thinking of doing new ones. For me, this is the critical area that needs attention and that is where I will concentrate.”