Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has publicly criticized former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for what he described as “disparaging” remarks about Nigeria during a lecture at Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

 

In a strongly worded statement titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University”, Sanwo-Olu accused Obi of undermining the country on the international stage and lacking the moral authority to speak on issues of poverty and governance.

 

Obi, during his talk, had compared Nigeria with China and Vietnam, noting that while all three had similar poverty levels in 1990, Nigeria had failed to match their developmental strides due to poor leadership. He called for political leadership with “character, capacity and compassion” to prioritize education, health, and poverty alleviation.

 

Responding, Sanwo-Olu said Obi’s speech not only insulted the current Nigerian government but also painted Nigeria in a negative light abroad. “When prominent Nigerians go overseas, they ought to project Nigeria positively… That is what true patriotism is about,” he wrote.

 

Sanwo-Olu further accused Obi of hypocrisy, stating that under his eight-year tenure as governor, Anambra saw a sharp increase in poverty. “Before Peter Obi became Anambra Governor in 2007, the poverty rate was 41.4 per cent. Two years later, it rose to 53.7 per cent,” the Lagos governor said. He added that Obi’s successor, Willie Obiano, eventually brought the figure down to 14.8 per cent.

 

Taking a swipe at Obi’s governance record, Sanwo-Olu said: “Mr. Obi, who did not build a single school or stand-alone hospital, has no basis to criticize a government that is actively addressing poverty, education, and credit access.” He cited the achievements of President Bola Tinubu, noting that Tinubu had built over 200 schools, launched student loan schemes, and provided over $500 million in credit to small and medium-scale businesses.

 

Highlighting Tinubu’s impact as former Lagos governor, Sanwo-Olu stated that poverty in Lagos was reduced by over 46% during Tinubu’s tenure, and said there was every reason to believe he would replicate that success at the national level.

 

Concluding his statement, Sanwo-Olu questioned Obi’s credibility, saying: “The best predictor of the future is the past. Mr. Obi talks a good game. But was he able to reduce poverty while he governed Anambra? The facts say otherwise.”