Only after two years in office, the poverty rate in Anambra jumped to 53.7 per cent, You lack moral stand to criticize the Tinubu govt – Sanwo-Olu tackles Peter Obi
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has criticized Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, accusing him of lacking the moral standing to speak about poverty in Nigeria. In a personally signed statement titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University,” Sanwo-Olu alleged that poverty worsened under Obi’s leadership as Anambra State governor.
This reaction followed Obi’s speech at Johns Hopkins University, where he compared Nigeria’s poverty rates to China and Vietnam, blaming poor leadership for Nigeria’s lag in development. Obi emphasized that competent leadership focused on education, healthcare, and poverty reduction was key to progress , something he said Nigeria lacked.
Sanwo-Olu, however, condemned Obi for “de-marketing” Nigeria abroad, arguing that patriots should present a positive image of the country internationally, regardless of the government in power.
Focusing on poverty, Sanwo-Olu pointed out that during Obi’s tenure, Anambra’s poverty rate rose from 41.4% to 53.7%, whereas his successor, Willie Obiano, later reduced it significantly to 14.8%.
In contrast, Sanwo-Olu praised President Bola Tinubu’s record, highlighting his contributions in Lagos, building over 200 schools, supporting student loans for over 200,000 students, and providing credit facilities to SMEs, achievements he said Tinubu is replicating at the federal level.
He said;
”On Thursday, April 24, 2025, former Governor Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate for the 2023 election, was at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he made several disparaging comments about Nigeria.
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 de-market her. That is what true patriotism is about.”
“Now, 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.
I say this because the president of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is my predecessor, and as governor of Lagos and now President of Nigeria, has built over 200 schools and provided student loans to more than 200,000 undergraduates of Nigerian tertiary institutions.
In less than two years, he has provided over half a billion dollars in credit facilities to small and medium-scale enterprises.”
After all, the best predictor of the future is the past.
“But let us examine the messenger, not just the message, and look at the issuer as well as the issues. Mr. Obi talks a good game. But was he able to reduce poverty while he governed Anambra? Perhaps we can let the facts speak for themselves.
Under Peter Obi as a two term Anambra Governor, poverty in Anambra increased. It did not reduce. Before Peter Obi became Anambra Governor on Thursday, June 14, 2007, 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. But the interesting thing is that five years after Peter Obi left office, his successor, Willie Obiano, reduced the poverty rate in Anambra from almost 60 per cent to 14.8 per cent.
As such, I am not sure that Mr. Obi is morally well placed to make the alarming claims he made about Nigeria at Johns Hopkins. 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?”
