The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of misleading Nigerians with inaccurate statistics in a bid to justify the current administration’s policies and economic direction.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, made the remark while speaking at a policy dialogue in Abuja on Monday, where he criticized what he described as “the deliberate inflation and distortion of economic data” by Tinubu and his team.
According to Obi, the presidency has continued to reel out economic growth figures and poverty reduction claims that do not reflect the harsh realities facing ordinary Nigerians, especially in the face of escalating inflation, worsening unemployment, and an ongoing food crisis.
>The government is overfeeding Nigerians with wrong statistics — numbers that don’t match what the people are experiencing in the markets, on the streets, and in their homes,” Obi said. “It’s not enough to throw around figures from international platforms; we must ask: how do these statistics translate into better lives for our citizens?”
He stated that it was misleading for the presidency to claim that Nigeria’s economy was recovering and attracting investments when basic essentials had become unaffordable for millions, and industries were shutting down due to poor infrastructure and erratic policies.
Obi also slammed the Federal Government for what he termed its lack of transparency and accountability in handling key economic reforms, especially in fuel subsidy removal and the management of forex policies.
>A government that cannot provide accurate data cannot plan well. And a government that plans with wrong statistics is doomed to fail,” he warned.
He urged President Tinubu to focus less on “PR-driven data” and more on honest engagement with stakeholders to design practical, people-centered policies that will address Nigeria’s worsening economic crisis.
So far, the presidency has not issued an official response to Obi’s remarks. However, aides close to the government have repeatedly defended Tinubu’s economic reform agenda, insisting that the policies are painful but necessary steps toward long-term stability and growth.
Peter Obi’s latest comments have further fueled the ongoing debate over the credibility of government data and the true state of Nigeria’s economy under the Tinubu administration.
