In a pointed response to Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has credited former Anambra State governor Willie Obiano with significantly reducing poverty in Anambra, contrasting it sharply with Obi’s tenure, which he alleged saw poverty rise.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement he personally signed titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University,” emphasized that while Obi presided over a spike in poverty levels during his eight-year tenure, his successor, Obiano, was responsible for a dramatic turnaround in the state’s fortunes.
“Under Peter Obi as a two-term Anambra Governor, poverty in Anambra increased. It did not reduce,” Sanwo-Olu stated. “Before Peter Obi became Anambra Governor on Thursday, June 14, 2007, the poverty rate in Anambra was 41.4 per cent. But after only two years in office, the poverty rate in Anambra jumped to 53.7 per cent.”
In sharp contrast, he pointed out that Governor Willie Obiano, who succeeded Obi, drastically reduced the state’s poverty rate. “Five years after Peter Obi left office, his successor, Willie Obiano, reduced the poverty rate in Anambra from almost 60 per cent to 14.8 per cent,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The Lagos governor made these remarks while criticizing Obi’s comments at Johns Hopkins University, where the former Anambra leader compared Nigeria unfavorably with China and Vietnam on poverty indices, citing poor leadership as a key factor for Nigeria’s challenges.
Sanwo-Olu, however, accused Obi of “de-marketing” Nigeria on the global stage and argued that Obi lacked the moral standing to comment on poverty alleviation efforts, given his record in Anambra State.
He further contrasted Obi’s record with that of President Bola Tinubu, stating that Tinubu, as former Lagos State governor, successfully reduced poverty by over 46 percent and was now replicating similar achievements at the federal level, including expanding access to education and credit facilities.
Highlighting Obiano’s achievement, Sanwo-Olu said, “The facts are clear: Obiano succeeded where Obi failed. It is important to let the records speak for themselves.”
Sanwo-Olu concluded by reiterating that true patriotism requires Nigerians to promote the country positively abroad rather than disparage it, urging political figures to uphold that responsibility regardless of political differences.
AT Reporter
