Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has issued a strong and detailed response to comments made by former Governor Peter Obi during a public lecture at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
Mr. Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, had made a series of disparaging remarks concerning Nigeria’s current state, focusing primarily on poverty and alleging that the incumbent administration’s policies were exacerbating hardship among Nigerians. His speech, which included critical statements not only about the government but about the nation itself, has since drawn considerable attention and reactions back home.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, addressing the controversy, expressed concern over Mr. Obi’s approach, stating that it is incumbent upon prominent Nigerians to project a positive image of the country on the global stage, regardless of their political affiliations or feelings toward the government.
“When prominent Nigerians go overseas, they ought to project Nigeria positively,” Sanwo-Olu asserted. “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. That is what true patriotism is about.”
Focusing directly on Mr. Obi’s claims about poverty, Governor Sanwo-Olu pointed out what he described as “irony” in Mr. Obi’s criticism, given the record of his time as Governor of Anambra State.
“Any leader can fight poverty generationally by promoting education, improving healthcare, providing credit, and granting access to land,” Sanwo-Olu explained. “It is 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.”
Sanwo-Olu defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ongoing efforts to alleviate poverty, noting that in less than two years, the administration had built over 200 new schools, facilitated student loans for more than 200,000 Nigerian undergraduates, and provided over half a billion dollars in credit to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Highlighting Tinubu’s past performance, Sanwo-Olu recalled that during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, Tinubu reduced poverty in Lagos by more than 46%, emphasizing that “the best predictor of the future is the past.”
Turning a critical eye to Peter Obi’s record, Sanwo-Olu presented stark statistics showing that during Obi’s time as Anambra Governor, poverty actually increased. “Under Peter Obi, poverty in Anambra jumped from 41.4% when he assumed office to 53.7% within just two years,” Sanwo-Olu said.
In contrast, Sanwo-Olu noted that Peter Obi’s successor, Willie Obiano, succeeded in dramatically reducing Anambra’s poverty rate to 14.8% five years after Obi left office.
“Given these facts, I am not sure that Mr. Obi is morally well-placed to make the alarming claims he made about Nigeria at Johns Hopkins,” Sanwo-Olu added.
“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?”
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s fact-based rebuttal has sparked further conversation nationwide, highlighting the importance of both patriotism abroad and truthfulness when evaluating national leadership efforts.
Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu remains steadfast in his belief that unity, positive representation, and informed dialogue are critical for Nigeria’s ongoing development on the global stage.
INN-HOUSE☆ 