Politics
Tinubu’s Govt Failing Nigerians – Obi
Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has issued a scathing midterm assessment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, accusing the government of gross mismanagement, increasing hardship, and a deepening democratic decline.
In a national broadcast delivered in Abuja on Wednesday to commemorate Nigeria’s 2025 Democracy Day, Obi urged President Tinubu to stop “governing Nigeria by remote control” and instead undertake a nationwide tour to witness firsthand the suffering of Nigerians.
“Mr. President, you have already made over 30 international trips, spending nearly 150 days abroad,” Obi said. “If you dedicate just two days to each of Nigeria’s 36 states, it would take only 72 days — less than half of your time already spent overseas. Nigerians need a present and listening leader.”
The broadcast, titled “Democracy in Decline: Reflecting on Two Years of Tinubu’s Governance”, painted a dire picture of Nigeria’s state of affairs, with Obi warning that democratic principles have been eroded, and governance has become characterized by impunity, propaganda, and disregard for the rule of law.
“Nigeria today cannot be classified as a democratic country. The essential elements of democracy — a government of the people, by the people, and for the people — are visibly absent,” Obi declared.
He accused the administration of celebrating failure and suppressing accountability while basic institutions of development such as healthcare, education, and the economy continue to deteriorate.
Obi cited troubling economic statistics as evidence of the government’s failures. According to him, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has declined from $364 billion in May 2023 to $188 billion in 2025 — a nearly 50% drop.
Similarly, GDP per capita has fallen from $1,640 to $835, while over 129 million Nigerians now live in multidimensional poverty, up from 38.9% to 54% of the population. He said rural poverty has become even more entrenched, with the World Bank reporting that 75% of rural Nigerians now live below the poverty line.
Obi lamented the growing decay in Nigeria’s education sector, pointing to the country’s distinction as having the highest number of out-of-school children globally — more than 18.3 million. He criticized the conditions under which students learn, citing instances of science classes held without laboratories and national exams written in darkness with candles.
On healthcare, Obi noted that less than 20% of Nigeria’s over 30,000 Primary Healthcare Centres are fully functional, according to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency. He cited recent visits to centres lacking basic sanitary facilities, and referenced a UN report naming Nigeria the worst country in the world to give birth, with one maternal death recorded every seven minutes.
The former Anambra State governor also addressed the economic hardship faced by Nigerian businesses. He stated that over 7 million SMEs have shut down in the last two years, along with more than 80 manufacturing companies, due to surging costs and an unfriendly business climate. Major multinational firms, including GlaxoSmithKline, Diageo, Procter & Gamble, and Shoprite, have exited the Nigerian market.
Obi added that the food crisis has worsened, citing the Global Hunger Index, which now ranks Nigeria among the hungriest nations. “Millions of Nigerians can no longer afford food due to inflation and dwindling disposable income,” he said.
Obi also condemned the ballooning national debt, stating that the Tinubu administration has borrowed more in two years than the combined totals of the Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and Buhari administrations.
“Nigeria’s total public debt now stands at nearly ₦188 trillion,” he said. “Despite the savings from fuel subsidy removal, there has been no visible improvement in critical sectors like education, healthcare, or poverty alleviation.”
He described the current level of corruption as “brazen,” alleging that the 2025 national budget was padded by about ₦7 trillion, according to budget transparency group BudgIT.
“Budget padding and misappropriation have become the norm, and yet there are no consequences,” he lamented.
Obi called on President Tinubu to emulate the humility of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who acknowledged flaws in the electoral process that brought him to power, and former President Goodluck Jonathan, who conceded defeat to preserve Nigeria’s democracy.
“We must end this era of governance by impunity and manipulation. Nigerians deserve leadership that listens, learns, and leads by example,” he said.
In concluding, Obi warned that the mental health crisis in the country is deepening, with over 20 million Nigerians reportedly affected. He called for urgent action to rescue the country from what he described as “a nation in decline in all its facets.”
The statement was signed by Ibrahim Umar, spokesman for the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR).
