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Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has responded to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s accusation that he was “demarketing” Nigeria on the international stage.
Governor Sanwo-Olu had criticised Obi over remarks made during a recent address at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. In his speech, the former Anambra State governor highlighted Nigeria’s worsening poverty levels, insecurity, and governance challenges—comments Sanwo-Olu described as harmful to the country’s image abroad.
Sanwo-Olu questioned Obi’s credibility on the matter, referencing poverty statistics from Obi’s time in office.
“But after only two years in office, the poverty rate in Anambra jumped to 53.7%. His successor later brought it down. So I’m not sure Mr. Obi is morally well-placed to make the alarming claims he made,” Sanwo-Olu said.
In response, Obi delivered a pointed rebuttal during a memorial service for elder statesman Edwin Clark on Wednesday. Without directly naming Sanwo-Olu, he defended his statements with data and questioned the premise of the criticism.
“People say I am demarketing Nigeria. When is telling the truth considered demarketing?” Obi asked. “The World Bank has just shown that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor. Is the World Bank demarketing Nigeria?”
He also referenced a recent UNICEF report, which revealed that Nigeria now has the second-highest number of malnourished children in the world, with over two million affected.
“Are they demarketing Nigeria?” he added.
Obi’s remarks underscore a growing debate about the balance between patriotism and accountability, particularly as Nigeria grapples with mounting socio-economic challenges.
