Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate for the Labour Party, has again expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Obi noted that after almost two years in office, there has been little to show in terms of progress, especially in areas that matter most to Nigerians.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on the evening of April 1, 2025, Obi outlined several key changes he would have made if he were in charge.
He pointed out that, in his view, the current administration has failed to meet the expectations of the Nigerian people, and many of its promises remain unfulfilled.
Obi made it clear that under his leadership, Nigerians would have experienced substantial changes, particularly in crucial sectors.
One of the areas Obi highlighted was the fight against corruption. He stressed that within two years, his administration would have significantly reduced corruption and cut down on the cost of governance, making it evident to the average Nigerian.
“The President that is there today how many years has he spent, two years and you could see where we are. That means you can change things in two years. If I was there in two years, you would have seen a considerable change in critical areas. I would have tackled corruption head on. I would have reduced cost of governance and you would see it, people would feel it,” Obi stated.
Obi also emphasized the importance of investing in critical sectors, particularly healthcare. He noted that Nigeria’s primary healthcare system is in a dire state, with 70 percent of its facilities non-functional.
He expressed his frustration at the government’s spending priorities, citing the over N35 billion spent on a conference center that has yet to benefit the country. Obi argued that such funds should have been directed toward addressing the critical needs of Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
Furthermore, Obi pointed to the issue of agriculture, specifically rice production, as another area where his administration would have made a significant difference. He compared Nigeria’s rice production to that of Bangladesh, a country with much smaller land resources.
He expressed his belief that with Nigeria’s vast land size, the country could become a major rice producer. “In Bangladesh, a country with 148,000 km² of land is producing about 60 million metric tons of rice and us, with over six times that size of land cannot do 10 percent of that,” Obi remarked.
On the issue of currency devaluation, Obi agreed with the idea of floating the naira but criticized the way the policy was implemented by President Tinubu. Obi suggested that, if he were president, he would have floated the currency in a more organized manner, with a focus on boosting productivity.
“There’s nothing wrong in devaluation, but I would have allowed the naira to float but I would have done it in an organised manner. There will be productivity. The idea of devaluing your currency, allowing it to float is that you have productivity so you can export, so people can come and buy,” he explained.
Obi concluded that floating the naira without ensuring that productivity increases would only lead to further economic challenges for Nigerians.
