According to Prof. Pat Utomi, who was in charge of the Big Tent Coalition of political parties and civil society organisations supporting Obi-Datti, this was the country's first-ever political telethon to air on Nigerian television.
The group said the telethon brought Nigerians from around the world together on a televised 13-hour live programme to engage Nigerians on the agenda of the Obi-Datti movement. They were supporting Mr Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, and Dr Yusuf Datti, who is Mr Obi's running mate.
Utomi at the occasion asked Nigerians "to own the new course for Nigeria and fund it," according to a statement by Mr Charles Odibo, Director of Media and Communications for the Big Tent.
Because some state governors who couldn't pay their pensions would "go and borrow money and steal half of the state's budget from security account to pursue their political career interests," Utomi urged the populace to halt the situation in which the state was unable to function.
Utomi said the group was one of his commitments in helping to raise money through the telethon to serve Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps across Northern Nigeria with nourishing hot meals during this harmattan season. Utomi also utilised the occasion to debut Obi-Datti Compassion Angels.
He added: ” Nigeria is in the throes of unprecedented massive change, from a period of inactive citizenship to a period where citizens themselves are the ones creating political movements.
“We have reached a stage in the Nigerian society where we ask who are the citizens, who are the tribesmen, who are the idiots amongst us.
“It looks like a group of citizens decided that enough was enough in terms of how much progress Nigeria has made.
“The process needed to kick up a broad tent that will bring people together because they are human beings, into a better view of their world,” he said.
Utomi said that nothing could have facilitated the happenings more than the fact that as Peter Obi pointed out in his speech from Abakaliki, Ebonyi said “The naked truth of our reality is that bread will not be sold differently for a Yoruba man than it will be sold to a Kanuri man.
“So, if there is going to be hunger it will get all of us. And guess what, there is hunger in the land,” he added.
Regretting the poverty index, Utomi, said that there was a need for a new Nigeria under new leadership to fix the country.
He urged Nigerian citizens to continue to rally behind the ObiDatti movement and “take back Nigeria.”
Highlighting the growth of the “Obidient” (followers of Obi) organic movement, Utomi, said,: “Labour Party and those who do not want to be partisan but wanted a new Nigeria which is possible, social movements, and labour unions, started to hold conversations.
“This led to an organic movement that has thrown up a Peter Obi candidacy to the pole position, such that every poll of seriousness that has been conducted has put this so-called outsider ahead of the traditional party candidates.”
Calling people to own the process, Utomi said: “And what a better way than a telethon in which you put your money where your mouths are to own this process.
“Own this new structure that will determine a new Nigeria in which pursuit of power is not for state capture but the pursuit of power is for use of power to serve the greater good of the greater number of our people.”
Describing the telethon as engaging and entertaining, the professor said that it featured the likes of Onyeka Owenu, Tee Mac, and other promising young artists.
He added that it also had deep-dive experts from the Policy Review and Future View team of the Big Tent also gave further insight into the seven-pronged agenda of ObiDatti’s acclaimed Manifesto.
On the policy direction being proposed by Obi to strengthen the nation’s economy, Utomi said that two professors of economics from the Lagos Business School, Prof. Bongo Adi, and Associate Prof. Franklin Ngwu provided a brief summary of the manifesto on the economy.
He said the two professors spoke in terms of how to get the Nigerian economy working again.
According to him, viewers from across the globe who watched on Television and streamed on all social media platforms called in to ask questions which were answered by panellists, anchored by Utomi.
He said that, later, Obi joined them online and talked about his commitment to revamping education as a bedrock for sustainable development, and recalled how he revamped education as governor of Anambra during his eight–year tenure.
According to him, panellists at the day-long Telethon included Dr Austin Nweze, Lead Director at Big Tent, Dr Chidi Okpaluba, a Director of the Big Tent Independent Campaign Council, Dr Ifeanyi Nzegwu of the Lagos Business School, Mr Soni Irabor, a renowned broadcaster.
Others were Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Dr Loretta Oduwa Ogboro-Okor, Dr Sam Amadi and Dr Jerry Okolo, who are experts in power amongst others. (NAN)