Peter Obi using lies to chase foreign investors away from Nigeria - Reno Omokri

Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide and supporter of President Bola Tinubu, has accused Peter Obi, a 2027 presidential aspirant, of driving away prospective foreign investors from Nigeria by spreading false information about the country's debt stock.

In a controversial interview with Seun Okinbaloye of Channels Television, Obi quoted figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), claiming that the Tinubu administration has amassed more debt than the governments of former presidents Muhammadu Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan, and Umaru Musa Yar'Adua combined.

However, Omokri said the former Anambra State Governor's remarks were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.

He said, due to Obi's submission, some investors currently operating in Nigeria are considering exiting the market.

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“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up,” Omokri said on Channels TV's Politics Today on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. “The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.

“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie," Omokri said.

Quoting the same DMO figures, the former presidential aide explained that President Tinubu has actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since taking office, contrary to Obi's claim.

“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015,” he said.

“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.

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“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased.”