Tinubu using false statistics to conceal Nigeria’s economic crisis–Obi

Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of deliberately misleading Nigerians with distorted economic data in a bid to mask the country’s worsening economic conditions.

In a strongly worded statement posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, Obi alleged that the Tinubu administration has abandoned sincerity and transparency in governance, choosing instead to manipulate figures to create a false sense of economic stability.

Obi recalled a 2022 campaign incident where Tinubu, then the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, ridiculed him for his emphasis on data and evidence-based policymaking.

“In November 2022, while campaigning in Delta State, Tinubu said he was ashamed to call my name and mocked me, saying, ‘Na statistics we go chop? All I want is to put food on the table of Nigerians,’” Obi recounted.

“Now, two years into his four-year tenure, Nigeria is ranked among the hungriest nations in the world, with millions unsure of where their next meal will come from.”

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He further alleged that President Tinubu is now relying on “false and misleading statistics” covering unemployment rates, inflation, and GDP rebasing, to mask the true state of the Nigerian economy and the harsh realities faced by ordinary citizens.

“President Tinubu is now overfeeding Nigerians with wrong statistics — from unemployment figures to inflation rates and now GDP rebasing — all to paint a rosy picture of our deteriorating economic and household conditions,” Obi said.

He argued that governance requires more than propaganda, stressing the need for honesty, competence, and compassion in leadership.

“Governance is not rocket science. It is not a gamble. It requires sincerity of purpose, character, competence, capacity, and compassion,” he stated.

Obi’s criticism comes amid growing public dissatisfaction with the Tinubu-led government’s handling of the economy, following the removal of fuel subsidies, floating of the naira, and rising inflation, which have collectively increased the cost of living for many Nigerians.