Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has responded sharply to Peter Obi following the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate’s remarks at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Obi’s comments on Nigeria’s economic decline and rising poverty levels have drawn sharp criticism from Sanwo-Olu, who believes the former Anambra governor is in no position to comment on the country’s poverty issues.
During his recent engagement at Johns Hopkins, Obi highlighted the stark increase in Nigeria’s poverty rate over the past 25 years. He used data from the Human Development Index (HDI) to compare Nigeria’s economic downturn with China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Obi noted that, in 1990, Nigeria had the fewest number of poor people compared to these nations. However, by 2025, Nigeria has surpassed all three countries combined in poverty levels.
Obi pointed out that, while Nigeria had only 50 million people in poverty in 1990, countries like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam had far higher numbers. By contrast, today, Nigeria is home to more impoverished people than all three nations put together.
In response, Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a statement titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University”, accused Obi of undermining Nigeria’s image on the global stage. Sanwo-Olu expressed concern over Obi’s tendency to make negative remarks about the country abroad, which he believes is harmful to Nigeria’s international reputation.
“The comments made were not just about the current Nigerian government but about Nigeria as a whole,” said Sanwo-Olu. “When prominent Nigerians travel abroad, they should project the country positively. We owe it to Nigeria to promote her, not disparage her. That is what true patriotism means.”
Sanwo-Olu also addressed Obi’s focus on poverty, questioning his track record as governor of Anambra. The Lagos governor pointed out that during Obi’s two terms as governor, he failed to establish any new schools or hospitals, nor did he take significant steps to provide access to credit or land.
“It is ironic that Mr. Obi, who did not build a single school or hospital in Anambra during his eight years as governor, would now criticize the federal government for its efforts,” said Sanwo-Olu. “In contrast, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during his tenure as governor of Lagos and now as President, has built over 200 schools, provided student loans to more than 200,000 undergraduates, and extended half a billion dollars in credit to small and medium-sized businesses.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu further refuted Obi’s criticisms by referencing the poverty situation in Anambra during Obi’s time in office. He highlighted how the poverty rate in the state surged from 41.4% to 53.7% during Obi’s first two years in power. However, after Obi’s departure, his successor, Willie Obiano, managed to reduce the poverty rate from nearly 60% to 14.8%.
“Given these facts, I find it hard to believe that Mr. Obi is in any moral position to make the sweeping claims he did about Nigeria at Johns Hopkins. His own tenure contributed to the rise in poverty, not the reduction of it,” Sanwo-Olu concluded.
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