Hardship: President Tinubu Is Now Overfeeding Nigerians with Dubious Statistics – Peter Obi

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has taken aim at President Bola Tinubu, accusing him of spreading misleading economic data and failing to fulfill campaign promises made ahead of the 2023 election. In a strongly worded statement, Obi criticized Tinubu for presenting inaccurate figures on unemployment, inflation, and GDP, alleging that these are attempts to distort the reality of Nigeria’s struggling economy.

Referencing a 2022 campaign stop in Delta State, Obi recalled Tinubu’s dismissal of statistical analysis, quoting the then-presidential candidate as saying, “Na statistics we go chop? All I want is to put food on the table of Nigerians.” Obi said this statement underscored Tinubu’s lack of regard for data-driven governance. Two years into his administration, Obi argued, Nigeria is now ranked among the world’s hungriest nations, with millions unsure of where their next meal will come from.

Obi accused the President of attempting to paint a rosier picture of the country’s economic situation by relying on what he described as “wrong statistics.” According to Obi, the rebasing of GDP and manipulation of inflation and unemployment figures serve only to mask the worsening living conditions faced by ordinary Nigerians.

He emphasized that effective governance is not about gambling or optics but about leadership grounded in “sincerity of purpose, character, competence, capacity, and compassion.” Concluding his remarks, Obi reiterated his belief in the possibility of a better Nigeria, stating, “A new Nigeria is POssible.”