Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has taken a swipe at the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election Peter Obi over the latter’s criticism of the poverty index under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Mr Sanwo-Olu’s reaction came in response to Mr Obi’s remarks at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, where the former Anambra governor compared Nigeria’s poverty level to those of China and Vietnam.
Obi attributed the disparities to a lack of competent and compassionate leadership in Nigeria, accusing the current administration of failing to prioritise key developmental areas like education and healthcare.
However, in a strongly worded statement titled, “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University,” Sanwo-Olu dismissed Obi’s comments as hypocritical and unfounded.
“Mr. Obi made several disparaging comments about Nigeria and the current administration,” Sanwo-Olu said. “While every leader has a right to address issues, it is ironic for Mr. Obi, under whose leadership as Anambra governor poverty significantly worsened, to critique President Tinubu’s administration, which is actively addressing these issues.”
The Lagos governor highlighted data to back his claims, stating that the poverty rate in Anambra increased from 41.4% to 53.7% during Obi’s tenure. He contrasted this with his predecessor, Willie Obiano, who reduced the poverty rate in the state to 14.8% after Obi left office.
Sanwo-Olu also credited President Tinubu for achievements during his tenure as Lagos State governor, including building over 200 schools, offering student loans to over 200,000 undergraduates, and providing over half a billion dollars in credit facilities to small and medium-scale enterprises.
“Under Tinubu’s leadership in Lagos, poverty was reduced by more than 46%. There is every reason to believe that he will replicate this success at the federal level,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He criticised Obi’s approach, urging prominent Nigerians to project the country positively on international platforms rather than “de-marketing” it. “True patriotism is about highlighting solutions, not just problems,” he said.
The governor concluded by questioning Obi’s moral authority to speak on poverty alleviation, stating, “Mr. Obi contributed to the increase in poverty in Nigeria. Governor Tinubu, as he then was, lifted millions out of poverty. Being that that is the case, who should criticise who?”
Obi has yet to respond to Sanwo-Olu’s remarks at the time of filing this report.
Tinubu was governor of Lagos from 1999 to 2007 while Obi governed Anambra from 2006 and 2014.
