Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over an alleged $9 million expenditure on foreign lobbyists, describing it as a reflection of misplaced priorities amid Nigeria’s development challenges.
Obi said the reported spending, allegedly directed at lobbying efforts in Washington DC, was difficult to justify at a time when critical sectors such as health and education remain underfunded.
Obi questions government spending priorities
In a post on his verified X handle on Friday, the former Anambra State governor argued that Nigeria’s persistent social challenges make such expenditure inappropriate.
He said Nigeria has remained in the low Human Development Index category from 1990 to 2025, despite having economic indicators comparable to, or better than, countries like China and Indonesia at the beginning of that period.
According to Obi, while those countries have progressed to medium and high HDI levels, Nigeria has stagnated due to policy and leadership choices rather than a lack of resources.
Comparison with health sector funding
Obi recalled that in 1990, Nigeria’s per capita income was about three times higher than China’s, but noted that the outcomes over time tell a different story.
He compared the reported $9 million lobbying cost, estimated at about N14 billion, with the 2024 capital allocations to six federal teaching hospitals, one from each geopolitical zone, which total N13.9 billion.
The hospitals listed by Obi include University College Hospital, Ibadan (N2.67bn); Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria (N2.46bn); University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu (N2.8bn); University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City (N2.43bn); University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin (N1.16bn); and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri (N2.37bn).
Health outcomes and call for fiscal discipline
Obi said the comparison underscored what he described as contradictions in government spending priorities.
He further cited Nigeria’s low life expectancy and high maternal mortality rate, noting that childbirth remains one of the most dangerous experiences for women in the country.
Describing the situation as unacceptable, Obi argued that funds reportedly used for lobbying could have been redirected towards medical equipment, hospital infrastructure and improved healthcare delivery.
He urged the Tinubu administration to adopt stricter fiscal discipline and focus on investments that directly improve citizens’ welfare, adding that sustainable development depends on consistent and deliberate policy choices.
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