'Telling the truth is not demarketing Nigeria' - Obi fires back at Sanwo-Olu

Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi in the 2023 elections has fired back at Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other critics who accused him of demarketing Nigeria on the global stage.

Obi insists his comments were rooted in facts, not intended to tarnish the country’s image.

Speaking at a memorial lecture in Abuja on Wednesday, May 7, for elder statesman Pa Edwin Clark, Obi defended his earlier remarks at Johns Hopkins University, highlighting Nigeria's economic decline over the past 25 years and the country’s deepening poverty crisis.

“I spoke a few days ago, and people said I am demarketing Nigeria. When is truth being demarketing? The World Bank has just shown that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor. Is the World Bank marketing Nigeria?” Obi asked.

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Citing a recent UNICEF report, Obi added, “UNICEF two days ago said that Nigeria has over two million malnourished children, the second highest in the world. Are they demarketing Nigeria? Let’s face the reality.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu had earlier criticised Obi’s comments as “unflattering” and “disturbing,” accusing him of failing to represent Nigeria positively abroad.

“When prominent Nigerians go overseas, they ought to project Nigeria positively. We all owe a duty to market Nigeria on the global stage rather than demarket her. That is what true patriotism is about,” Sanwo-Olu said.

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But Obi countered that acknowledging harsh truths is essential to solving Nigeria’s challenges. He also pointed out that comparing Nigeria’s poverty rate to countries like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam reveals the severity of the issue.

Obi concluded that leadership quality is at the root of Nigeria’s decline, adding, “The fate of a nation is closely tied to the quality of its leadership.”