African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 presidential hopeful and first two-term Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has accused the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government of prioritising waste, corruption, propaganda, lies, and negative aspects of development over positive initiatives.
In a statement on his verified X account on Friday (yesterday, January 16), Obi said that the whopping $9 million of taxpayers’ money, which the government reportedly used to pay lobbyists to burnish Nigeria’s image in Washington, could have been used to improve the health and social welfare of Nigerians.
Lamenting that Nigeria’s Human Development Index (HDI) has remained stagnant for 35 years, from 1990 to 2025, in contrast to other nations within the same low category, such as China and Indonesia, Obi recalled that Nigeria had a three-fold higher per capita income than China in 1990, but regretted that China and Indonesia have both advanced from low to medium, and now to high categories.
“The achievements of these nations were not the result of fate, miracles, or natural endowments, but rather a consequence of choices and the cumulative effects of good and bad leadership,” Obi pointed out. “This underscores the importance of prioritisation.”
The former presidential candidate noted that for a country with such low life expectancy, low per capita income and low standard of education as Nigeria, spending a hefty $9m to burnish a broken image such as the country currently parades before the rest of the world, should never have been a priority.
“Nigeria now has the lowest life expectancy in the world and ranks among the top two countries globally for maternal mortality, making childbirth one of the most precarious experiences for Nigerian women. (Now), instead of investing in life-saving systems, we spend millions trying to obscure our failures,” he agonized, explaining that $9 million (approximately ₦14 billion) is huge enough to have been better used to fund at least six teaching hospitals in the country.
Recalling that the 2024 capital budget for six teaching hospitals, one in each of the six geopolitical zones, was ₦13.9 billion, Obi stressed: “The $9 million spent on foreign lobbyists could have been used wisely to purchase essential hospital equipment for Nigerian hospitals, improving our healthcare capabilities and positively influencing our national image.
“This $9 million is sufficient to fund the entire 2024 capital budget for at least one major teaching hospital in each zone, directly enhancing survival rates, care, and life expectancy.
“The funds are available; what is lacking are prioritisation, discipline, and effective leadership.”
He described “such a waste” as unacceptable, demanding that every naira of taxpayers’ money must serve the Nigerian people.
“Instead, citizens are dying in failing hospitals while the government pays foreigners to pretend that everything is fine,” he further lamented.
“We cannot continue to live in an illusion while our reality deteriorates. This constant prioritisation of trivial matters must come to an end.”
