‘If Anyone Should Be in Jail, It’s Us Politicians’ — Peter Obi

• Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has stirred reactions after saying politicians should be the ones in jail for the state of the country, while reflecting on his visit to a prison-run university abroad.

Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has sparked conversations online after declaring that politicians, rather than ordinary citizens, should be held accountable for Nigeria’s challenges.

Obi made the remark while recounting his experience visiting a correctional facility abroad where inmates had access to higher education and rehabilitation programmes.

According to him, he spent time in an institution where many members of the academic faculty had previously served prison terms.

“I spend days with them, where the entire faculty are people who have sat in jail, all the professors.”

He said he was surprised by the transformation of former inmates into respected academics and administrators.

“I saw the dean of faculty said, ‘I did 28 years.’ I saw the registrar, everybody, they’ve done years, and it was amazing.

“And they are professors and they are what it is.”

Obi noted that many people in prison are not necessarily those who should be there, arguing that society often punishes the wrong individuals.

“When you see such a thing, when you hear what you’re doing, which here everybody thinks that if you go to jail…”

“Most of them are even people who are not supposed to be there in the first place.”

He then made the remark that has since generated widespread reactions.

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“If anybody should be in jail, it should be us politicians for what we have done to the country.”

The statement has triggered debate on social media, with supporters praising Obi for acknowledging the role of political leaders in Nigeria’s challenges, while critics argue that solving the country’s problems requires more than rhetoric.

The former Anambra governor has repeatedly advocated reforms in governance, education, and accountability, insisting that leadership remains central to Nigeria’s development.