Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has criticised former Anambra State governor and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, saying he lacks the moral standing to speak on poverty in Nigeria.
In a personally signed statement titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University,” Sanwo-Olu accused Obi of contributing to the poverty problem he now criticizes.
Obi’s Comments at Johns Hopkins
During a lecture at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, Peter Obi had compared Nigeria’s poverty trajectory with that of China and Vietnam, stressing that while Nigeria had the least number of people in poverty in 1990 among the three countries, it failed to achieve similar growth and development.
Obi said, “The question then is, what exactly did these countries do to be able to achieve the desired growth and development? That is where political leadership comes in.”
He added that countries like China and Vietnam had competent leadership committed to investing in education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation — unlike Nigeria.
Sanwo-Olu: “Obi Has No Moral Right”
Reacting, Sanwo-Olu said Obi’s remarks were not only disparaging to Nigeria but also hypocritical.
“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 stated.
He said prominent Nigerians ought to project the country positively abroad, adding, “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.”
Sanwo-Olu defended President Bola Tinubu’s record, noting that as former governor of Lagos State and now president, Tinubu had consistently fought poverty by investing in education, providing loans to students, and supporting small businesses.
“In less than two years, he has provided over half a billion dollars in credit facilities to small and medium-scale enterprises,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He also credited Tinubu with building over 200 schools and granting student loans to over 200,000 undergraduates.
Poverty Rates Under Obi and Obiano
Turning his focus to Obi’s record as governor, Sanwo-Olu said, “Under Peter Obi as a two-term Anambra Governor, poverty in Anambra increased. It did not reduce.”
He noted that the poverty rate in Anambra rose from 41.4% before Obi assumed office to 53.7% two years into his tenure, whereas his successor, Willie Obiano, was able to bring the rate down to 14.8% after Obi’s departure.
“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,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu concluded that while Obi “talks a good game,” his track record suggests otherwise, adding, “Being that that is the case, who should criticise who?”
