Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his recent comparison of Nigeria with Kenya, warning that “self-consolation” will not address the country’s economic and developmental challenges.
In an X post on Monday, Obi said Tinubu’s remark in Bayelsa, where he said Nigerians should take solace in being “better off than Kenya and other African countries,” risks downplaying the severity of hardship in the country.
The former Anambra governor likened the comparison to the biblical parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, where self-righteousness masks deeper shortcomings.
“Like the Pharisee who boasted of his superiority over others, such downward comparisons serve more as a refuge than a remedy,” he said.
Obi argued that while comparisons between countries are necessary for measuring progress, they must be based on credible and verifiable data rather than used as a tool for deflection.
“Statistics remain indispensable — they are the language through which nations understand their condition and chart progress,” he said.
Obi reeled out a series of indicators to support his position, claiming that Kenya outperforms Nigeria across key development metrics, including human development index (HDI), life expectancy, GDP per capita, literacy rate, and electricity access.
According to him, Kenya ranks higher on the HDI, with a score of about 0.630 compared to Nigeria’s 0.530, and has a life expectancy of about 67 years, against Nigeria’s 54 years.
He added that Kenya’s GDP per capita stands at roughly $2,200–$2,300, while Nigeria’s is below $1,000, and its poverty rate is significantly lower.
Obi further noted that Kenya has fewer out-of-school children and lower inflation rates, as well as a more stable exchange rate compared to Nigeria.
“Across these indices, Kenya ranks higher than Nigeria. If the President considers Kenyans to be suffering despite these stronger figures, then Nigerians are in a far more difficult situation,” he said.
He urged Tinubu to move beyond what he described as “self-consolation” and focus on addressing the underlying issues affecting Nigeria’s development.
Obi said the situation requires humility, accountability, and a firm commitment to improving living standards for Nigerians.
