Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential flagbearer, has addressed recent backlash from Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and others who accused him of portraying Nigeria negatively on the global stage.
The controversy stems from Obi’s remarks during a talk at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S., where he laid out Nigeria’s economic decline over the last quarter-century.
Obi highlighted the rise in poverty across the country, pointing out that Nigeria now has more impoverished people than China, Indonesia, and Vietnam combined.
Reacting to this, Governor Sanwo-Olu criticised Obi’s tone and message, describing it as damaging and unpatriotic.
He argued that while Nigerians abroad aren’t obligated to defend the government, they should avoid statements that tarnish the country’s image internationally.
In response, Obi stood his ground during a speech at the memorial lecture for Pa Edwin Clark in Abuja.
He questioned whether international organizations like the World Bank and UNICEF, which recently published damning poverty statistics about Nigeria, were also guilty of “demarketing” the nation.
Obi stressed that acknowledging harsh realities is vital if progress is to be made, insisting, “The truth is not unpatriotic.”