Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has accused former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of playing a role in deepening poverty in Nigeria, questioning his moral standing to criticize the nation’s economy on international platforms.
Sanwo-Olu’s remarks were a response to Obi’s recent lecture at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, where Obi offered a bleak assessment of Nigeria’s economic decline over the past 25 years.
During the lecture, Obi compared Nigeria’s poverty trends with those of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, highlighting that Nigeria, which had fewer people living in poverty in 1990, now surpasses the three countries combined in the number of poor citizens.
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In the area of poverty, Nigeria with about 50 million poor people, had the least number of people in poverty in 1990 than any of the three countries. While China had about 750 million people living in poverty, Indonesia and Vietnam had 85 million and 60 million poor people, respectively. China alone had about 15 times the number of poor people than Nigeria. Today, however, Nigeria has more poor people than these 3 countries combined, Obi said during his presentation.
However, in a statement titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University,” Sanwo-Olu described Obi’s comments as both disparaging and unpatriotic. He emphasized that prominent Nigerians have a responsibility to present their country in a positive light on international stages.
He made unflattering remarks not just about the incumbent Nigerian government but also about Nigeria. I also find Mr Obi’s pattern of behaviour disturbing. When prominent Nigerians go overseas, they ought to project Nigeria positively. They do not have to do that for the government. But we all owe a duty to market Nigeria on the global stage rather than demarket her. That is what true patriotism is about, Sanwo-Olu said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu challenged Obi’s credibility on poverty-related issues by highlighting his record as governor of Anambra State.
Sanwo-Olu claimed that during Obi’s eight-year tenure, he neither built a single school nor established a stand-alone hospital, and made no significant strides in expanding access to credit or education, both critical tools for reducing poverty.
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I find it somewhat ironic that a man like Mr Obi, who did not build a single school or a stand-alone hospital throughout his eight-year tenure as governor of Anambra or sustainably provide credit facilities, would criticise the government of Nigeria, which is actively doing that, Sanwo-Olu said.
ANAMBRA’S POVERTY RATE SINCE HE BECAME GOVERNOR IN 2007
Citing specific statistics, Sanwo-Olu asserted that poverty worsened during Obi’s tenure as governor. He pointed out that when Obi took office in June 2007, Anambra’s poverty rate was 41.4 percent, but it climbed to 53.7 percent within two years. In contrast, he praised Obi’s successor, Willie Obiano, for achieving a significant reduction in poverty during his administration.
Under Peter Obi, a two-term Anambra Governor, poverty in Anambra increased. It did not reduce. Before Peter Obi became Anambra Governor, the poverty rate in Anambra was 41.4 per cent. But after only two years in office, the poverty rate in Anambra jumped to 53.7 per cent. Five years after Peter Obi left office, his successor, Willie Obiano, reduced the poverty rate from almost 60 per cent to 14.8 per cent, he said.
Sanwo-Olu contended that, given Obi’s track record, the former governor lacks the moral authority to lecture Nigeria on economic decline or poverty reduction.
Mr. Obi contributed to the increase in poverty in Nigeria. Governor Tinubu, as he then was, was responsible for lifting millions out of poverty.
Being that that is the case, who should criticise who? he concluded.
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