Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has sharply criticised the Federal Government following reports that it spent about $9 million on foreign lobbyists in Washington.
Obi described the move as another example of Nigeria’s “habit of prioritising waste over human wellbeing.”
In a post on his X handle on Friday, Obi said the alleged deal was a painful reminder of how public funds are routinely used to manage perception abroad while conditions at home worsen.
“It is both tragic and concerning that our leaders continue to prioritize waste, corruption, propaganda, lies, and negative aspects of development over positive initiatives,” he wrote.
Obi argued that the country’s worsening development crisis stems from poor leadership choices.
He noted that Nigeria has remained stagnant in the low Human Development Index (HDI) category for 35 years, while countries like China and Indonesia have advanced to higher categories through deliberate leadership and policy choices.
Health and Development Needs
Highlighting Nigeria’s health challenges, Obi lamented that the country now has the lowest life expectancy in the world and ranks among the top two globally for maternal mortality.
“Instead of investing in life-saving systems, we spend millions trying to obscure our failures,” he said.
He stressed that the $9 million spent on lobbyists could have been redirected to purchase essential hospital equipment, funding the capital budget of at least one major teaching hospital in each geopolitical zone.
Obi insisted that Nigeria’s problem is not a lack of funds but a lack of prioritisation, discipline, and effective leadership.
“Every naira of taxpayers’ money should serve the Nigerian people. Instead, citizens are dying in failing hospitals while the government pays foreigners to pretend that everything is fine. We cannot continue to live in an illusion while our reality deteriorates. This constant prioritization of trivial matters must come to an end,” he declared.
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