Chinedum Elekwachi
Former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi has berated President Bola Tinubu’s administration for worsening Gross Domestic Product witnessed in the two years of his administration.
In a public address commemorating 2025 Democracy Day, Obi regretted that Nigeria’s GDP, which stood at $364 billion when the Tinubu administration took over in May 2023, has plummeted to $188 billion – nearly a 50% decline.
Similarly, GDP per capita has dropped from $1,640 to $835.
Obi decried the rising number of Nigerians living in multi-dimensional poverty from 38.9% to 54%, with about 129 million people now below the poverty line.
“In rural areas, 75% of Nigerians live in poverty, according to recent World Bank figures.”
On education, Obi lamented that Nigeria now has over 18.3 million out-of-school children – the highest number globally.
He said the quality of education is in sharp decline, with students writing national exams under candlelight and without proper learning infrastructure.
Healthcare, he added, has fared no better citing data from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency revealing that fewer than 20% of Nigeria’s 30,000 primary health centres are fully functional.
He lamented that in some centres he visited, delivery rooms lacked toilets.
The former governor also condemned the recent United Nations report ranking Nigeria as the worst country for child birth, with one maternal death recorded every seven minutes.
Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate lamented steady erosion of democratic values and worsening socio-economic conditions under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He opined that Nigeria can no longer be justifiably classified as a democratic nation as core elements of democracy – government by the people, for the people, and of the people – are now glaringly absent.
Obi decried the persistent disregard for electoral rules, where regulations governing eligibility for public office are flouted leading to the emergence of ineligible leaders.
Worsening socio-economic indices
Reflecting on the state of the nation under the Tinubu’s administration, Obi bemoaned worsening insecurity, economic stagnation, poverty and despair among Nigerians.
“In just two years, we have moved from rigged elections to collapsing social services; from soaring poverty to rising corruption; from a seemingly stable economy to a parlous one.
“This government has created a situation where failure, lies and propaganda are now celebrated.
Instead of accountability and measurable progress, we are witnessing the manipulation of narratives, blame-shifting, and governance by gaslighting.”
Obi raised alarm over the collapse of key development indicators, including education and healthcare.
According to him, the security situation has worsened, the rule of law is almost non-existent, and corruption has deepened.
