Connect with us

Politics

Why Sanwo-Olu is Angry with Peter Obi •What Peter Obi Says At Johns Hopkins University

I also find Mr. Obi’s pattern of behaviour disturbing. When prominent Nigerians go overseas, they ought to project Nigeria positively.

Published

on

30 Views

Lagos State Governor , Babajide Sanwo-Olu has lashed out at Mr Peter Obi, of the Labour Party, regarding his recent comments on Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu.

Sanwo-Olu reacted on his X, titled ‘Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University,’ urges Mr Obi to bridle his tongue by not speaking injuriously about his country and the current leadership under President Tinubu.

The statement reads:

“On Thursday, April 24, 2025, former Governor Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate for the 2023 election, was at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he made several disparaging comments about Nigeria.

He made the unflattering remarks not just about the incumbent Nigerian government, but also about Nigeria.

I also find Mr. Obi’s pattern of behaviour disturbing. When prominent Nigerians go overseas, they ought to project Nigeria positively.

They do not have to do that for the government. But we all owe a duty to market Nigeria on the global stage rather than de-market her.

On Thursday, April 24, 2025, former Governor Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate for the 2023 election, was at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he made several disparaging comments about Nigeria.

That is what true patriotism is about. Because Mr. Obi focused on poverty and said that the current administration’s policies are making Nigerians poorer, I will concentrate on that.

Any leader can fight poverty generationally by promoting education, improving healthcare, providing credit, and granting access to land.

Now, I find it somewhat ironic that a man like Mr. Obi, who did not build a single school or a stand alone hospital throughout his eight-year tenure as Governor of Anambra or sustainably provide credit facilities, would criticise the Government of Nigeria, which is actively doing that.

I say this because the President of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is my predecessor, and as Governor of Lagos and now President of Nigeria, has built over 200 schools and provided student loans to more than 200,000 undergraduates of Nigerian tertiary institutions.

In less than two years, he has provided over half a billion dollars in credit facilities to small and medium-scale enterprises. While he was Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, the President reduced poverty by more than 46%.

There is every reason to believe that, based on what he did as Governor of Lagos, he will repeat the same feat at the federal level. After all, the best predictor of the future is the past.

But let us examine the messenger, not just the message, and look at the issuer as well as the issues. Mr. Obi talks a good game. But was he able to reduce poverty while he governed Anambra?

Perhaps we can let the facts speak for themselves. Under Peter Obi as a two term Anambra Governor, poverty in Anambra increased.

It did not reduce. Before Peter Obi became Anambra Governor on Thursday, June 14, 2007, the poverty rate in Anambra was 41.4%.

But after only two years in office, the poverty rate in Anambra jumped to 53.7%.

But the interesting thing is that five years after Peter Obi left office, his successor, Willie Obiano, reduced the poverty rate in Anambra from almost 60% to 14.8%.

As such, I am not sure that Mr. Obi is morally well placed to make the alarming claims he made about Nigeria at Johns Hopkins.

Mr. Obi contributed to the increase in poverty in Nigeria. Governor Tinubu, as he then was, was responsible for lifting millions out of poverty.

Being that that is the case, who should criticise who?”

WHAT PETER OBI SAID AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

At Johns Hopkins University, USA, Peter Obi was invited to speak on “Politics and Change in Nigeria” from Professor Peter Lewis, the famous author of “Growing Apart: comparing Indonesia and Nigeria”.

Peter Obi commented on his X: In discussing this very critical issue, which directly impacts the direction of a nation, I pointed out that the failure of a nation depends largely on its Political Leadership. Competent, capable and compassionate political leadership, with integrity, will help nations to achieve sustainable growth and development.

In my speech, I tried to assess 3 of our comparable nations – China, Vietnam and Indonesia, from 1990 till date.
In 1990, the year the measurement of the Human Development Index (HDI) was started, these 3 comparable nations, including Nigeria, were all classified under the medium category of the HDI measurement. 35 years later, 3 of these nations have moved up to the High category of HDI while Nigeria has fallen into the low category.

Within the same period of 35 years, from 1990 to 2025, the GDP Per Capita of these comparable nations have all improved. As of 1990, while Nigeria had a GDP per capita of $556, China had $317, Indonesia had $578, and Vietnam had only $99.

Nigeria, obviously, had higher GDP per capita than China, while Vietnam had less than one-fifth of Nigeria’s per capita.

Today, Nigeria’s per capita is about one-fifth of Indonesia’s ($5000) and Vietnam’s (4400) GDP per capita and below one-tenth of China’s (1300) GDP per capita.

In the area of poverty, Nigeria with about 50 million poor people, had the least number of people in poverty in 1990 than any of the three countries.

While China had about 750 million people living in poverty, Indonesia and Vietnam had 85 million and 60 million poor people, respectively.

China alone had about 15 times the number of poor people than Nigeria.

Today, however, Nigeria has more poor people than these 3 countries combined.

The question then is, what exactly did these countries do to be able to achieve the desired growth and development?

That is where political leadership comes in. These comparable nations, and indeed other progressive nations, unlike Nigeria, have competent leadership with character, capacity and compassion, committed to prioritizing investment in critical areas of developmental measures; Education, Health, and pulling people out of poverty.

A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO ”

Politics

MKO Abiola: 27 Years After

Contributed by Dr Hafsat Abiola President KUDIRAT INITIATIVE FOR DEMOCRACY (KIND), and Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin President, Women Arise

Published

on

By

12 Views

Today we remember MKO Abiola.

He came like a dream and lived as a legend.

Of his accomplishments, he was a marvel: a child born into poverty but surrounded by such a wealth of culture and community that, from an early age, he understood that the greatest glory came from serving people.

A prodigy of Baptist Boys High School where his identity as a muslim did not stop him from benefiting from scholarships set up by missionaries; and ultimately coming fourth in the international chartered accountancy exam in England.

MKO believed in Nigeria and in Nigerians and loved both above all else.

He would have been a success anywhere, but like many patriotic Nigerians of his time, he chose Nigeria for his stage.

And what a stage it was for much of his adult life, marked by feats of business and personal success that was matched by his prodigious philanthropy.

If there was a final test that caused a man that seemed to be an unstoppable force of nature to stumble, it was the quest to ensure that Nigerians would say farewell of poverty.

He set forth on his attempt but, alas, he did not succeed.

However, that his final chapter culminated in the pursuit of a better Nigeria for all probably defined him best.

MKO believed in Nigeria and in Nigerians and loved both above all else.

So as divided as the country may be today, fractured and riven by suspicion and fear; as dispirited as many citizens may feel when confronted by the lack of visible progress on insecurity and broader prosperity, on this 27th anniversary of MKO’s death, we would do well to remember that the unity some threaten to upend may be a pre-condition for winning the fight for our country and its future.

And that the quest to end poverty in Nigeria isn’t for one man, whether MKO or whoever leads our country, however brilliant and blessed he may be, but for us all.

Contributed by Dr Hafsat Abiola President KUDIRAT INITIATIVE FOR DEMOCRACY (KIND); Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin President, Women Arise

Continue Reading

Politics

Coalition to Unseat Tinubu in 2027 Doomed to Fail, Wike, Sanwo-Olu Declare

Published

on

30 Views

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has dismissed the growing alliance of political heavyweights seeking to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, describing the coalition as a mere distraction that is bound to fail.

Speaking to a group of journalists and politicians in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said Nigerians will stand behind the President to ensure the full realisation of his reform agenda.

He specifically criticised the anti-Tinubu coalition taking shape under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), labeling it a distraction unworthy of the President’s attention.

“Nigerians will never go back to Egypt,” Sanwo-Olu declared, adding that the motive behind the alliance is to derail the progress made under Tinubu’s leadership.

“The target is to distract the Commander-in-Chief and derail the social and economic gains that we can see and feel, but President Tinubu knows the game and will never fall for their bait,” he said.

The coalition includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Senate President David Mark, ex-Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi, and former Governors Nasir el-Rufai and Rauf Aregbesola.

While some view the group as a credible alternative platform, Sanwo-Olu insisted it is simply an assembly of disgruntled politicians.

He argued that the President’s record — from stabilising the foreign exchange market to launching a national student loan scheme and initiating far-reaching tax reforms — offers a compelling case for continuity.

Sanwo-Olu also pointed to increased oil production, infrastructure development, enhanced revenue allocation to states following fuel subsidy removal, and the national minimum wage review as further evidence of progress.

“President Tinubu is not only a builder of men but a visionary leader whose impact is evident across the nation,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Asked whether the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was concerned about the ADC or its backers, the Governor responded: “No one should be concerned or distracted by what ADC or any other group is attempting to orchestrate.

The truth is clear, the people can see the difference, and history is on his side.”

“They have nothing but bitterness to offer; they are bound together by their illogical resentment against President Tinubu, not by any edifying ideology. They will run out of steam.”

On what advice he would give the President amid growing opposition rhetoric, Sanwo-Olu said: “Simple.

The President should stay the course. Millions of well-meaning Nigerians across party lines and compatriots, who understand what it takes to govern the most populous black nation on earth and revive a troubled economy, are behind him and trust his leadership.”

“We know how far we’ve come under President Tinubu’s leadership. The focus should remain on delivering results, deepening reforms, and building a stronger Nigeria. Any attempt to shake that foundation will be futile,” he added.

Continue Reading

Politics

BREAKING: PDP Reconciliation Committee Chairman Resigns, Joins ADC

Published

on

31 Views

Air Vice Marshal Shehu Adamu Fura (retd.), Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reconciliation Committee, has officially resigned from the party and declared his allegiance to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Fura’s departure, confirmed in a resignation letter dated July 3, 2025, and addressed to the PDP Ward Chairman in Pantami Ward, Gombe Local Government Area, marks a significant loss for the PDP in the state.

His defection is seen as a major development, coming at a time when the party is striving to consolidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.

A respected figure in Gombe politics, Fura was a contender in the PDP’s 2023 governorship primaries, where he finished third.

His influence in the party, especially in grassroots mobilization and internal dispute resolution, was considered critical.

As head of the state’s Reconciliation Committee, he played a pivotal role in fostering unity among party factions following the 2023 elections.

In his resignation letter, Fura cited personal reflection and extensive consultations as reasons behind his decision to leave the PDP.

Continue Reading

Trending