Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has strongly criticized Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his recent comments about Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
During his speech, Obi compared Nigeria’s poverty levels with China and Vietnam, blaming poor leadership for Nigeria’s slow development. He argued that other nations achieved growth by investing in education, health, and poverty reduction, areas he said Nigeria had neglected.
In response, Sanwo-Olu issued a statement titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University,” accusing Obi of damaging Nigeria’s image abroad.
He said, “When Nigerians travel abroad, they should speak positively about the country. True patriotism is promoting Nigeria, not tearing it down.”
Sanwo-Olu questioned Obi’s track record as Anambra State governor, claiming poverty worsened under his leadership.
“Peter Obi did not build any new school or hospital during his eight years in office. Poverty in Anambra rose from 41.4% before his tenure to 53.7% two years later,” Sanwo-Olu stated. He added that Obi’s successor, Willie Obiano, later reduced the poverty rate to 14.8%.
Highlighting President Bola Tinubu’s achievements, Sanwo-Olu noted that Tinubu built over 200 schools, provided loans to over 200,000 students, and gave credit facilities worth over half a billion dollars to small businesses.
Sanwo-Olu argued that Tinubu’s leadership helped lift millions out of poverty, while Obi’s leadership did not show similar progress.
He concluded by questioning Obi’s moral right to criticize Nigeria’s leadership, saying, “Given his record, who should really be criticizing who?”
