•Peter Obi
Following the reported spending of about $9 million on foreign lobbyists in Washington, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has criticised the federal government for what he described as Nigeria’s persistent habit of prioritising waste over human wellbeing.
In a statement released on his X handle yesterday, Obi described the alleged deal as a painful reminder of how public funds are routinely deployed to manage perception abroad while conditions at home continue to deteriorate.
He warned that the country’s worsening development crisis was as a result of poor leadership choices, reports Channels TV.
“It is both tragic and concerning that our leaders continue to prioritise waste, corruption, propaganda, lies, and negative aspects of development over positive initiatives. Recently, it was reported that $9 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on lobbyists in Washington, which I believe is just a small fraction of the global waste occurring in the same manner.
“This situation aligns with the disgraceful state of Nigeria. This is merely a small example of wasteful spending that has contributed to our nation’s current failing status. To further illustrate the impact of such waste, we can look at a critical measure of development: the Human Development Index (HDI).
He noted that the country has remained stagnant in the low HDI category for 35 years, from 1990 to 2025. In contrast, comparable nations within the same low category, such as China —where Nigeria had a three-fold higher per capita income in 1990 — and Indonesia have advanced from low to medium, and now to high categories.
“The achievements of these nations were not the result of fate, miracles, or natural endowments, but rather a consequence of choices and the cumulative effects of good and bad leadership,” Obi stressed.
On health, he noted that one of the three pillars of HDI is a bleak picture of Nigeria’s global rankings.
“Nigeria now has the lowest life expectancy in the world and ranks among the top two countries globally for maternal mortality, making childbirth one of the most precarious experiences for Nigerian women. Instead of investing in life-saving systems, we spend millions trying to obscure our failures,” he lamented.
He argued that the $9 million spent on foreign lobbyists could have been used to purchase essential hospital equipment, directly improving healthcare delivery and positively influencing Nigeria’s image.
“This $9 million is sufficient to fund the entire 2024 capital budget for at least one major teaching hospital in each zone, enhancing survival rates, care, and life expectancy,” Obi said.
According to him, Nigeria’s problem is not the absence of funds but the lack of prioritisation, discipline, and effective leadership.
He declared, “Every naira of taxpayers’ money should serve the Nigerian people. Instead, citizens are dying in failing hospitals while the government pays foreigners to pretend that everything is fine. We cannot continue to live in an illusion while our reality deteriorates. This constant prioritisation of trivial matters must come to an end”.
