OBIdiency and the ‘No Shishi’ phenomenon
June 25, 2022

By Dr. Ugoji Egbujo

Peter Obi may be an old politician, but he is a new phenomenon. Almost 20 years ago, he ran for the Anambra governorship; now, he runs like a sanctimonious newcomer leading an angry horde chasing scapegoats. Those swooning over him remember Obi of the Platform series more than the Obi who lived eight years in Awka.


When reminded of some of his ordinary records, his supporters simply say, “Obi is better.” Don’t take them for granted. Obi is the new rave. Perhaps a vintage old wine in a new bottle. Perhaps a vent for a suffocating populace. Perhaps the enticing unknown amidst ugly predictable choices. In some sections of the country, Petermania is the new epidemic.

Obi’s emergence as the candidate of the Labour Party was largely fortuitous. But nobody remembers. An overnight defection to beat the INEC deadline for presidential primaries. Obi had sought to represent the PDP which his followers now detest as contemptible. Nevertheless, Obi’s popularity is not flimsy. His supporters are creating an ideology.



They call themselves Obidients, but they are irreverent in many ways. Seeking to disrupt the status quo, they have adopted a religious stand. Sometimes confident, sometimes insolent. ‘No shishi’ is chief amongst their philosophy. ‘No shishi’ means ‘no farthing.’ They won’t accept gratification to support or vote for Obi. Obidiency evidently entails praiseworthy political celibacy of some sort. Obi’s acclaimed frugality is the spirit.

The no-shishi ideal is spreading. While Peter Obi isn’t yet the dominant candidate, no-shishi could transform the country. For a country that thrives on bribes and gratification, where many judges, police officers and clergy are buyable, no-shishi is a divine node of regeneration. In a country where crowds are rentable and political rallies are rented crowds, no-shishi is a political apostatical wonder. In a country where vote-buying is rife and almost justifiable, where an omission to grease palms is rebuked as stinginess or selfishness, no-shishi must be daredevilry. A new beginning.



If no-shishi spreads and finds tap root, it would damage the foundation of the corrupt politics that has bedridden the country. If politicians do not pay for support and votes, they would need and perhaps steal less. If voters can’t be enticed with biscuits and chewing gum, they might vote right. If no-shishi seeps into the country’s DNA, it might re engineer social structures, reach the checkpoints and prevent the naked evil transactions that go between motorists and policemen.

If the police authorities expect no-shishi from road users, they will provide adequate logistics and fuel for patrol teams. They would also expect no returns. If the government knows the police will get no-shishi from the public, it will be compelled to fund the police or have no police.



Besides the preservative effect on country’s rotting body politic, no-shishi will make partners out of supporters. The no-shishi Obidients have infused the campaigns with volunteerism. If the supporters don’t take shishi, then they are more likely to support with their brain and arm muscles and pockets.

A man selling his birthright for a pot of porridge would only bother about the size and quality of the porridge and not the complexion of the buyer. If supporters invest in the candidates, then they are more likely to scrutinize and choose candidates before opening their wallets. More likely to consider eating the money than giving it to a charlatan.



Being stakeholders rather than fans would help institute a culture of accountability. Because investors are usually more demanding than cheerleaders.

Petermania and the culture of Obidiency have come at the right time. Crowds have besieged registration deadlines. Democracy thrives on mass participation. If sustained, Petermania could rev up mass participation across all parties. Somnolent supporters of other candidates are waking up to the challenge. And they must wake up in numbers and up their moral engagement.

These other groups can’t yield the moral high ground to the Obidients without a challenge. To contest in the new game, and to belong to the emerging culture, they must come up with some of their enviable ideas, habits and customs to identify their group. Thank God volunteerism is surging. Apathy is waning.

This could be the new beginning. Nigeria, I hail thee

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/06/obidiency-and-the-no-shishi-phenomenon/

A beautiful piece right there. There might still be hope in Nigerian journalism afterall. Seems not all of you are brown envelope journalist, that are rented for pay.

Yes, the no shishi ideology has borne a movement of volunteerism. OBI supporters know that the odds are heavily against them and they are determined to bridge that disadvantage by volunteering and doing their personal parts.

No-shishi phenomenon is the new order of things in the Nigeria.

Nah so

There is no reasonable Nigerian that does not know Peter Obi stand out as a true decent and corrupt free politician to take Nigeria out of the woods. Its only selfish Nigerians that are currently benefiting from this decadence in Nigerian today that wont understand why Obi is the best for Nigeria come 2023. Anyone who truly love progress and wish Nigeria well will definitely support Obi. You can see such love and acceptance across the entire country for Peter Obi without collecting shishi.

*Structureless Party: Who is Afraid of HE Mr Peter Obi?*

By Chukwudịmma Aaron-Okonkwọ

https://chukwudimmaaaronokonkwo..com/2022/06/structureless-party-who-is-afraid-of-he.html

Since the former governor of Anambra State, HE Mr Peter Obi, emerged the presidential candidate of Labour Party for the 2023 general presidential election, many supporters of the main opposition parties have not ceased from lampooning him. From the ridicules that Labour Party has no structures across the nation to the mockery that he is a stingy person, the attacks flows freely unabated.

Some of my close friends, worried by the issue of no structure, had to reach my inbox to express their deep concerns. And as should be expected, I advised them not to worry over such claims because they hold no water. I backed my persuasive advice with points worthy of note.

The man of the moment - Mr Peter Obi that is - became the governor of Anambra State through a relatively new and unpopular political party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA at a time when his dear home state is in dire need of transformative governance. 'Is Anambra cursed or are we the curse?' was the question he came forward with. Then, he added to his slogan, 'If you love Anambra State, say YES to Mr Peter Obi'. The rest today is history as to how he leaved his talk. He does what he says!

He did not stop there. He went around every nook and cranny of the state, meeting the grassroots and sharing leaflets by himself. And when the election came, his party that barely had any structure across the state at the time won the gubernatorial elections. Upon that his mandate was stolen, he went to challenge it at the court and won.

He assumed office with visionary leadership, transforming the state's socioeconomic aspect with the implementation of United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, SDG in what is known as Anambra State Integrated Development Strategy, ANIDS.

ANIDS was simply a structural framework his administration as governor used to develop every area of Anambra simultaneously. Thus, no part of the state was left unattended to. He covered every town of the state with provision of social amenities and necessary infrastructures. This is Peter Obi!

Now a Presidential candidate with Labour Party; a party presumed to have no structures, is this same visionary leader loved by many Nigerians going to make history once again in 2023? This seems to be the fear shivering the main opposition parties, hence, the needless unabated attacks and propaganda being meted against him on daily basis.

Perhaps, Mr Mike Asukwo, a veteran cartoonist was right when he realized that what the mercenaries of the opposition meant by 'structure' lacked by the LP is 'Stomach infraSTRUCTURE'; a structure by which food items are shared to voters/electorates in return for a vote at the polling units.

Whatever the case may be, whoever is afraid of the Labour Party presidential candidate should know that there is no stopping a revolutionary movement whose time has come.

In my recent article entitled, "Ndi Igbo, What We Have We Have", I explained that we are currently experiencing an ideological revolution; one that have never been experienced in our dear country before.

As necessity is the mother of invention, our dear fellow country men, women, and youths who have suffered excruciatingly unbearable anguish of hunger are the ones championing this revolution. They champion it because they are so tired of the status quo of *consumption economy.* They champion it because we need to *take back our country* from the hands of those that are toying with it.

Revolution is an extreme change that can have a far-reaching effect on the citizens of any country. And for us Nigerians, this ideological revolution is birthed on the need to effect a change in our body politic; the need to effect a transformation on the socioeconomic and political conditions of our dear nation.

Therefore, this current wave of ideological revolution we are experiencing in dear country sparked by the entrance of Mr Peter Obi as a presidential candidate is being motivated by the burning desire to have a *production economy.*

Russia and China became what they are today because their respective citizens staged a revolution in 1917 and 1949 respectively. The result of that revolution in Russia was a change of government from constitutional monarchy under the Tsars to Marxist-Leninst state under the Bolsheniks and Vladimir Lenin who transferred means of production from private owners to government.

The Chinese, on the other hand, went from military dictatorship by Chiang Kai-shak and his Knomintang (KMT) nationalist party to a Marxist-Leninst state under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) marking a shift in social power to the peasantry.

And both of these events involved massive upheavals in government and socio-economic class structures.

For us in Nigeria, the self-acclaimed Giant of Africa, the time is auspicious for us to reset the ugly system that rigs against us, the common masses and the collective future of our nation.

It has became the high time that our infrastructure and security must be prioritized, and a proactive person like the two-term former governor of Anambra State is most suitable to deliver this new systematic development for our good.

For good sixteen years since we transitioned from military rule to a civilian government, we had the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP administer governance and then came the All Progressives Congress, APC with the mantra of change running for disastrous eight years.

Altogether, in twenty-four years since we began the fourth republic, we have been dwelling heavily on importation of what we have the resources to produce in the country. This has to stop!

It is the time for us to have a change in government very different from the two main parties that have ruled our country for over two decades. And we can only effect this change through the platform of a hitherto unpopular political party.

For Nigeria to mark a shift in social power, we should transit from the APC to Labour Party, LP. And when that is done, the labour of our heroes past is justified not to be in vain.

For our economy to effectively transform from consumption to production economy, it takes a massive upheaval in government and socio-economic class structures.

The reason why our graduated engineers became skit makers for Facebook is because there is dearth of industries in the country. The reason why our graduated scientists became tweakers - dancing away their waist on Instagram is because there is dearth of research facilities in the country. The reason why our unemployed peoples became pundits for Twitter is because investors have relocated to other countries. So much more.

It is therefore imperative to make provisions for our graduated Engineers, Nurses, Doctors, Agriculturists etc. to be genuinely employed and it is only a government brought in through a revolution that can offer us this transformational policy.

We must force the government to create an enabling environment for job opportunities that can employ our teeming number of unemployed youths and that's what Peter Obi's government is set to offer us, Nigerians.

China produces 800, 000 new engineers every year and despite that, they have adequate provisions as per employment opportunities for their Engineers; they export the surplus to countries such as ours, and amass diaspora remittance.

Our roads are built by Chinese engineers. Isn't it a beautiful colours of shame that foreigners are taking up job opportunities that our own graduated Engineers are supposed to take? This nonsense must stop, and it is high time it stopped!

Just watch this nairaland, take note of every moniker that attacks Peter Obi

They are not normal, they don’t have the best interest of the country at heart, they are either APC or PDP card carrying members.

Especially for the case of tilumbu, even his own yoruba people don’t like him and what he did to them with their Lagos so they are not voting for him based on tribal lines, maybe religious lines but instead they will vote for Atiku

E no concern me.
Obi is spreading like wildfire.
Obi is a movement
Obi is a project
I'm OBIdient inshallah

My own is that Peter Obi must win

Peter Obi will win by God's grace.

Let's go out in large numbers to vote for him on election day.