Take Nigeria’s Sorry State More Seriously, Obi Tells Osinbajo

Text Box: Says ‘Shaku Shaku’ dance comment unhelpful

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, yesterday advised Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to reflect on how to arrest the country’s worsening state of affairs rather than spending their time in learning how to dance “Shaku Shaku,” a popular dance-steps among Nigerian youths.

The PDP presidential running mate was reacting to the vice president’s mocking of PDP, who said he was going to learn how to dance the popular “Shaku Shaku dance” if that was all it would take to garner votes.

Speaking at a book launch last Sunday, Osinbajo said, “I can never forget my dear friend in one of the states, who just danced his way through the campaigns; all he did was dance; he did nothing else but dance and he won 250,000 votes.”

However, Obi described such side jabs from the Osinbajo as unnecessary, especially at a time when Nigerians were looking forward to a debate on issues that would improve their lot.

Obi, who was returning from a trip to Dubai, told journalists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport yesterday, that the Atiku Team would rather spend their time with the best minds on how to start creating jobs and putting food on people’s table than engage in “Shaku Shaku dance.”

When asked to react to the vice president’s comment, the former governor said, “For the Atiku team, it is about spending our time with the best minds on how to start creating jobs and putting food on people’s table and not learning how to dance “Shaku Shaku.”

According to Peter Obi, “I have not had the opportunity of reading his comments as I haven’t seen the dailies. I know Vice President Osinbajo is a gentleman and may not have made such a comment. However, while I am not against people dancing or learning how to dance ‘Shaku Shaku,’ as I believe it is one of those things that is keeping our people going on in this very difficult times, I believe that the crossroads that we have found ourselves in as a nation requires sober reflection.

“For me in particular, this period calls for sober reflection not dancing or learning how to dance as there are many challenges facing our nation at the moment. Not the least being recently having our country named the world headquarters of extreme poverty with over 87 million people.

Worse still millions more are losing their jobs, with four million by the third quarter of this year alone.

“Millions of Nigerians go to bed hungry not knowing where the meal for the next day will come from; hundreds of thousands risk death by crossing the Sahara and the Mediterranean Sea to wherever they can make a living.

“These and other challenges are indicative of the dire straits facing us as a nation today. And these are what we on the Atiku team are spending our time with the best minds on how to start creating jobs and putting food on people’s table. We must get Nigeria to start working again for the good of everyone.”