‘I said the truth, not demarketing Nigeria’ – Obi replies Sanwo-Olu

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has responded to Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who accused him of “demarketing” Nigeria on the international stage.

Sanwo-Olu had criticised Obi’s recent remarks at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S., where the former Anambra governor expressed concerns about Nigeria’s deepening poverty, insecurity, and poor governance.

The Lagos governor accused Obi of making disparaging comments that tarnish Nigeria’s image abroad and further claimed that Obi lacked the moral standing to make such criticisms, citing rising poverty statistics during his time as Anambra governor.

“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 stated

However, Obi, speaking at a memorial service for elder statesman Edwin Clark on Wednesday, fired back with data-backed rebuttals.

Without naming Sanwo-Olu directly, Obi said:

“People say I am demarketing Nigeria. When is truth being demarketed? The World Bank has just shown that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor. Is the World Bank demarketing Nigeria?”

Obi also cited a disturbing UNICEF report stating that Nigeria now has the second-highest rate of malnourished children globally, with over 2 million children affected. 

“Are they demarketing Nigeria?” he asked.