Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering public affairs.
FCT, Abuja – Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, said Nigeria has to turn night vigils to night shifts so that citizens can be productive.
Obi made the remark during a recent video interview on The Honest Bunch podcast. A trending snippet of the interview was seen by Legit.ng.
Source: Twitter
The LP chieftain said:
“We live largely in a very unproductive society. That is why the only thing that is attractive is politics and church. You need to dismantle it (referring to the mindset). And we are going to turn night vigil into night shift so people can be productive.
“I go to church; I believe in church. But we cannot have people Monday to Friday, be in church morning and night, no.”
He continued:
“If I go from here (the studio) now to my house, the only signboard you see is signboard of churches. You go to the East, it is burials, that is not a country. If you go to any other country, you see products.”
Meanwhile, Obi’s statement stirred a strong debate online. While some commenters supported Obi’s stance, others disagreed.
Legit.ng captures some comments on X (formerly Twitter) below:
Moses Paul, an ally of Obi, wrote:
“To those who are quick to jump to conclusions based on headlines, I urge you to listen to the entire interview. Misinterpretations are circulating, but his message was clear: productivity is essential, even within religious spaces.
“This interview offers one of the most insightful discussions on the intersection of church and politics, and it is crucial for people to listen to it fully instead of relying on snippets or headlines.”
@TheoAbuAgada wrote:
“Attending vigils and serving God does not make people any less productive.
“He cannot attack Muslims and their devotion to Allah the same way he just attacked Christians and their beliefs.
“What exactly did the Church of God do to these people to deserve such constant attacks?
“This man saw nothing wrong with people gathering on a Friday night while he was seeking votes at Dunamis, Redemption Camp, and The Experience.”
Joshua Mike-Bamiloye commented:
“So now vigils are the reason Nigeria isn’t productive? Boy, the mentality of blaming church attendance for Nigeria’s problems is a very misguided one and, at best, an insult.
“Vigils are commonly held on Fridays, right before the weekend. If we want to be productive, why not also ban recreational events, comedy shows, concerts—in fact, ban every social gathering.
“The hot weather seems to have corroded some minds to the point that they fail to think clearly and address the real problems.”
Obi reacts as FG arraigns child protesters
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Obi berated the Bola Tinubu-led government for arraigning minors who participated in the ‘End Bad Governance’ protest before the court.
Obi pointed out that the scenes are “disturbing and condemnable”.
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Source: Legit.ng