- He said his refusal to indulge in self-immortalisation or embark on grand publicity of his stewardship is why his achievements as governor are downplayed by some
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi says the practice of naming things after people, especially public officials, does not sit right with him.
He said he opposed the naming or renaming of streets or facilities after him when he was a governor
Obi said this in reaction to the Bariga Local Council Development Area, LCDA, renaming of several streets within the council including Charly Boy Bus Stop. The popular Bus Stop was renamed Olamide Baddo Bus Stop.
The development was greeted with outrage across the country, with many calling for an immediate reversal of the decision.
Speaking on the matter, Obi, during an interaction with Charly Boy, as captured in a viral video, said the decision of the Bariga LCDA was inconsequential.
He said he was against institutions and structures being named after him, recounting how he stopped a doctor from naming a facility he built in a hospital after him.
Obi said, “To me, it is totally irrelevant when you have millions of people who don’t know where their next meal will come from.
“Whether they change it to A or B…. As governor, I refused to let streets, buildings or anything be named after me. I built a facility in the hospital, the proprietor said it should be named after me or my mother but I said no.”
He said his refusal to indulge in self-immortalisation and embark on grand publicity of his stewardship is why his achievements as governor are downplayed by many.
He noted that the things he did as a governor were done with public funds, and he did not see any sense in slapping his name on them.
“That’s why people are saying that I didn’t do much publicity when I was governor, that I would have put my name on all the streets and every facility that I built.
“I didn’t even commission anything. That’s why people are saying that I didn’t do this, I didn’t do that.
“For me, whatever I did was with public money, so I didn’t see the relevance of putting my name on them
Discussion about this post