Former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said that many Nigerians living in South Africa would rather remain there despite xenophobic attacks than return to Nigeria because of the country’s worsening economic conditions.
Obi made the remarks while addressing a dinner organised for National Democratic Coalition (NDC) aspirants in Abuja shortly after returning from South Africa.
Speaking on Tuesday, he said efforts were made to assist distressed Nigerians who wished to return home, but many rejected the offer.
“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,” Obi said.
According to him, several Nigerians told him they preferred facing hardship abroad because the situation in Nigeria was even more difficult.
“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 stated.
