Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has fiercely criticized Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, accusing him of lacking the moral right to speak on Nigeria’s poverty crisis.

Sanwo-Olu made these comments in a personally signed statement released on Sunday, titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University.”

Peter Obi, during a recent lecture at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, compared Nigeria’s poverty situation to that of China and Vietnam.

He stated, “Nigeria, with about 50 million poor people, had the least number of people in poverty in 1990 compared to China and Vietnam.” Obi further questioned, “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, “These comparable nations, and, indeed, other progressive nations, unlike Nigeria, have competent leadership with character, capacity and compassion, committed to prioritising investment in critical areas of developmental measures: education, health, and pulling people out of poverty.”

But in a rather unusual response to Peter Obi, Gov. Sanwo-Olu asserted that Obi’s remarks not only attacked the Nigerian government but also painted Nigeria negatively on an international platform.

“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,” he reasoned.

He expressed concern over what he described as a pattern of behavior by Obi, claiming that leaders should avoid “de-marketing” the country abroad regardless of political differences.

Sanwo-Olu Defends Tinubu’s Legacy and Policies

Addressing Obi’s focus on poverty, Sanwo-Olu argued that any serious leader could tackle generational poverty by investing in education, healthcare, credit accessibility, and land ownership opportunities.

“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,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu gave kudos to his godfather, Bola Tinubu, pointing out that during Tinubu’s time as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, the poverty rate was reduced by more than 46%.

He added, “The president of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has built over 200 schools and provided student loans to more than 200,000 undergraduates of Nigerian tertiary institutions.”

Continuing he said, “In less than two years, he has provided over half a billion dollars in credit facilities to small and medium-scale enterprises.”

Sanwo-Olu insisted that Tinubu’s past record is evidence that he can lift millions out of poverty at the national level, stating, “After all, the best predictor of the future is the past.”

Evaluating Obi’s Record in Anambra

In contrast, he argued, “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%”

“After only two years in office, the poverty rate in Anambra jumped to 53.7%”

The Lagos governor pointed out that Obi’s successor, Willie Obiano, managed to reverse this trend, saying, “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%”

Drawing a final comparison, Sanwo-Olu concluded, “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?”

It is not clear why Sanwo-Olu decided to take on Mr. Peter Obi this time, but as 2027 general election crawls ever so nearer, and opposition coalition taking shape, in which Mr Peter Obi is increasingly seen as the only politician with the credentials of probity and accountability to take on the president, that allies of the president are now decidedly targeting his every policy intervention.

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