Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi has disclosed that many Nigerians living in South Africa have refused offers to return home despite facing hardship abroad.
Mr Obi spoke at a dinner for National Democratic Coalition (NDC) aspirants in Abuja after a recent visit to South Africa.
According to a statement by the NDC media team released on Tuesday, he said some Nigerians told him they preferred to stay abroad because of conditions at home.
“I just came back last night from South Africa. You know what Nigerians are going through in South Africa and so many other African countries,” he said.
“If you don’t know, we provided facilities for them to come back. But most of them told me they would rather die there than come back. They said things are even worse at home,” he added.
Obi said he met former South African President Thabo Mbeki and other leaders to discuss relations between South Africans and other African nationals.
He said Nigerian citizens face challenges in several countries and questioned the level of support they receive from Nigerian authorities.
“It is not only in South Africa that Nigerians have problems, but they have problems in other countries. I have had cause to ask them if our government has visited and the answer is no,” he said.
Peter Obi also spoke about security concerns in Nigeria, noting the country’s past role in peacekeeping operations.
“Nigeria played a role in securing nations since the Second World War. But today, Nigeria cannot secure itself. This is unacceptable,” he said.
