The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has stated that speaking the truth about Nigeria’s poverty level does not amount to demarketing the country.
Obi’s response comes days after Sanwo-Olu accused him of lacking the moral right to speak on poverty in Nigeria, following comments Obi made during a public lecture at Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University,” accused the former Anambra State governor of making “disparaging comments” about the country, alleging that Obi’s tenure witnessed a rise in poverty levels in Anambra.
Reacting during the Memorial Lecture and Tributes held on Wednesday in honour of the late Pa Edwin Clark, Peter Obi dismissed the criticism against him, questioning the rationale behind blaming him for tarnishing Nigeria’s image when reputable international institutions have already confirmed the country’s dire economic condition.
“I spoke a few days ago and people said I’m demarketing Nigeria. When is truth being demarcated? The World Bank has just shown that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor,” Obi said.
He added, “It’s the World Bank demarketing Nigeria. UNICEF two days ago released that Nigerians now have over 2 million malnourished children, the second highest in the world, and they’re demarcating Nigeria.”
“Let’s tell the reality. Their labour is in vain. We have a country now that is not democratic. We are not a democratic country,” Obi added.
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