‘I didn’t demarket Nigeria, I said the truth – Peter Obi replies Sanwo-Olu

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Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential flagbearer in the 2023 elections, has responded to criticism from Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and others who accused him of speaking negatively about Nigeria.

During a recent discussion at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Obi highlighted Nigeria’s economic decline over the past 25 years, pointing to the sharp rise in poverty levels as a consequence.

The former governor of Anambra State clarified that his remarks were grounded in facts, not negativity, as he drew comparisons between Nigeria’s poverty rate and those of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

He stressed that Nigeria now has a greater number of people living in poverty than the combined total in those three nations.

Obi argued that a country’s development is heavily influenced by the quality of its leadership, expressing concern over the impact of years of ineffective governance in Nigeria.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, in response, criticized Obi’s statements, labeling them as damaging and unhelpful.

He said he was troubled by Obi’s remarks on international platforms, arguing that such commentary does not portray Nigeria in a favorable or constructive manner.

“He made unflattering remarks not just about the incumbent Nigerian government but also about Nigeria. I also find Mr. Obi’s pattern of behavior disturbing. When prominent Nigerians go overseas, they ought to project Nigeria positively.

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“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 demarket her. That is what true patriotism is about,” Sanwo-Olu had said in a statement.

Speaking on Wednesday during a speech at the memorial lecture held in Abuja in honor of Pa Edwin Clark, Peter Obi reaffirmed that he had no intention of portraying Nigeria negatively, stating that he merely presented factual information.

He questioned whether international organizations like the World Bank and UNICEF, which have recently published concerning statistics about Nigeria’s poverty levels, were also being accused of damaging the country’s image.

“I spoke a few days ago and people said I am demarketing Nigeria. When is truth being demarketing? The World Bank has just shown that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor; is the World Bank marketing Nigeria? “UNICEF, two days ago, said that Nigeria has over two million malnourished children, the second highest in the world. Are they demarketing Nigeria? Let’s face the reality,” Obi said.

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