POLITICIAN and former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of being hypocritical and playing politics rather than working to better the lives of Nigerians.
He made the comment during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday as Nigeria marks Democracy Day on June 12.
According to him, ongoing political activities in the country in the last two years are pointers to the next general election.
Obi, who at first paid homage to the late MKO Abiola, said the politicians paid the ultimate sacrifice for democracy, adding that the current state of the economy calls for concern.
‘It is deeply troubling that under the current administration, Nigeria cannot be said to be in a democracy, even though the current president was part of the struggle to bring back democracy.
“The state of the nation is depressing as the economy and security are at an all-time low, and even key indicators for measuring national progress like health care, education and production
‘In 2023, about 38.9% of Nigerians lived below the poverty line, but it has now increased to 54%. Less than 10% of primary health care centres across the country are functioning. I have travelled to several states in the last six months and I have had to make interventions in maternity wards where giving birth is a 50/50 chance of survival for both mother and child .”
He argued that the hunger crisis and food insecurity are at an all-time high, with many unable to afford basic food items, leading many to resort to “professional begging”.
“Due to this, the World Health Organisation released a report saying over 20 million Nigerians have mental health issues,” he said, adding that instead of the current administration finding succour to the economic challenges, it has borrowed so much money that Nigeria’s debt is now N188 trillion.”
“Yet such monies have not been used to better the lot of the people as corruption is now at an all-time high, with the national assembly blatantly padding the 2025 budget.
“Nigerians now pay more tariffs for more darkness. This is against the president’s promise during his campaign, where he said if he didn’t give Nigerians power in four years, they should not vote for him for a second term.”
He called on the president to uphold the rule of law and ensure transparency to return Nigeria to a democracy.
He also urged the president to ‘stop governance by remote control” by going round the country to see firsthand what citizens are going through, as he has in two years spent about 150 days outside the country.
‘If he spends the same amount of time going round Nigeria, he would have seen the suffering,” he said.
He called on the president to tackle insecurity to ensure farmers can go back to their farms, as agriculture is the first key to unlocking the economy.
While calling on Nigerians not to give up on the nation at this critical time, he urged the president to help manufacturers reduce the cost of production to ensure production thrives.