Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticized the Federal Government over what he described as Nigeria’s misplaced priorities, following reports that $9 million of public funds was spent on foreign lobbyists in Washington.
In a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi argued that Nigeria’s persistent underdevelopment is not caused by a lack of resources but by years of poor leadership choices, wasteful spending, and weak governance.
According to him, Nigeria has remained in the low Human Development Index (HDI) category for 35 years, from 1990 to 2025, while countries that were once behind Nigeria, including China and Indonesia, have progressed to medium and high development levels.
Obi noted that in 1990, Nigeria’s per capita income was reportedly three times higher than China’s, yet China has since moved ahead due to deliberate policies, effective prioritisation, and sustained investment in human development.
He stressed that development outcomes are not accidental, stating that progress is shaped by leadership decisions and the cumulative impact of prioritising people-centred policies over waste and propaganda.
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Highlighting Nigeria’s poor performance in the key HDI indicators of health, education, and income, Obi lamented the state of the country’s healthcare system. He stated that Nigeria currently has the lowest life expectancy globally and ranks among the top two countries in the world for maternal mortality, making childbirth especially dangerous for Nigerian women.
To illustrate the consequences of poor prioritisation, Obi compared the $9 million lobbying expenditure—estimated at about ₦14 billion—with the 2024 capital budget allocations to major teaching hospitals across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, which he said amounted to ₦13.9 billion.
He listed allocations to the University College Hospital, Ibadan; Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu; University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City; University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin; and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri.
Obi argued that the funds spent on foreign lobbyists could have been used to equip hospitals, improve healthcare delivery, and save lives, rather than what he described as attempts to conceal Nigeria’s failures.
“The money is available; what is lacking are prioritisation, discipline, and effective leadership,” he stated, adding that Nigerians continue to die in poorly equipped hospitals while public resources are spent on image management abroad.
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