Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised the Federal Government over reports that it spent about $9 million on foreign lobbyists in the United States, describing the move as a misplaced priority amid Nigeria’s worsening social and economic conditions.
In a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, Obi said the alleged expenditure was another example of how public funds are often used to manage Nigeria’s image abroad while the wellbeing of citizens at home continues to deteriorate.
According to him, the country’s deepening development crisis is largely the result of poor leadership choices and wasteful spending.
“It is both tragic and concerning that our leaders continue to prioritise waste, corruption, propaganda, lies, and negative aspects of development over positive initiatives,” Obi said. “It was recently reported that $9 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on lobbyists in Washington. I believe this is just a small fraction of the global waste occurring in the same manner.”
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He described the reported deal as a painful reminder of Nigeria’s declining state, noting that such spending contributes to the country’s persistent development failures.
To illustrate his point, Obi referenced the Human Development Index (HDI), one of the key global measures of development. He noted that Nigeria has remained in the low HDI category for 35 years, from 1990 to 2025.
He contrasted Nigeria’s stagnation with countries such as China and Indonesia, which were once in the same category but have since progressed to medium and high HDI levels. Obi recalled that Nigeria’s per capita income in 1990 was three times higher than China’s.
“The achievements of these nations were not the result of fate, miracles, or natural endowments, but rather the outcome of deliberate choices and leadership,” he said.
On healthcare, Obi painted a grim picture, noting that Nigeria ranks poorly on key health indicators. He said the country now has the lowest life expectancy globally and ranks among the top two countries with the highest maternal mortality rates.
“Childbirth has become one of the most dangerous experiences for Nigerian women,” he said. “Instead of investing in life-saving systems, we spend millions trying to obscure our failures.”
Obi argued that the $9 million reportedly spent on lobbyists could have been redirected to healthcare, with immediate and tangible benefits.
“This amount is sufficient to fund the entire 2024 capital budget of at least one major teaching hospital in each geopolitical zone, improving healthcare delivery, survival rates, and life expectancy,” he stated.
He maintained that Nigeria’s challenge is not a lack of resources but poor prioritisation, weak discipline, and ineffective leadership.
“Every naira of taxpayers’ money should serve the Nigerian people,” Obi said. “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.”
