Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has launched a scathing attack on Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, declaring that the former Anambra governor "lacks the moral authority" to discuss poverty in Nigeria.
The fiery response came after Obi's recent lecture at Johns Hopkins University, where he blamed Nigeria's rising poverty on poor leadership and underinvestment in critical sectors like education and healthcare, while comparing Nigeria unfavorably to China and Vietnam.
In a strongly-worded statement titled "Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi's Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University," Sanwo-Olu accused Obi of "de-marketing
Nigeria" internationally. The governor cited statistics claiming that under Obi's governance (2006-2014), Anambra's poverty rate allegedly surged from 41.4% to 53.7%, before his successor Willie Obiano reportedly reduced it to 14.8%.
Sanwo-Olu further criticized Obi's governance record, stating:
*"During his eight years, Obi failed to build new schools, standalone hospitals, or sustainable credit systems—unlike President Tinubu, who has constructed 200+ schools, provided student loans to 200,000+ undergraduates, and disbursed $500M+ to SMEs."*
The governor emphasized that Nigerian leaders should promote patriotism and avoid "damaging the country's image abroad" over political differences. This clash intensifies the ongoing debate about leadership accountability and poverty alleviation strategies in Nigeria.
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