$9m on Lobbyists: Obi decries wasteful spending, urges focus on human devt

Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has criticised what he described as Nigeria’s persistent habit of prioritising waste over human wellbeing, warning that the country’s worsening development crisis stems from poor leadership choices rather than a lack of resources.

In a personally signed statement, Obi condemned the reported spending of about $9 million on foreign lobbyists in Washington, describing it as a painful reminder of how public funds are routinely deployed to manage perception abroad while conditions at home continue to deteriorate.

“This is merely a small example of wasteful spending that has contributed to our nation’s current failing status,” he said.

Obi noted that Nigeria has remained stagnant in the low Human Development Index (HDI) category for 35 years, from 1990 to 2025. In contrast, countries like China—where Nigeria once had a three-fold higher per capita income in 1990—and Indonesia have advanced from low to medium, and now to high HDI categories.

“The achievements of these nations were not the result of fate, miracles, or natural endowments, but rather a consequence of choices and the cumulative effects of good and bad leadership,” Obi stressed.

Turning to health, one of the three pillars of HDI, Obi painted a bleak picture of Nigeria’s global rankings.

“Nigeria now has the lowest life expectancy in the world and ranks among the top two countries globally for maternal mortality, making childbirth one of the most precarious experiences for Nigerian women. Instead of investing in life-saving systems, we spend millions trying to obscure our failures,” he lamented.

He argued that the $9 million spent on foreign lobbyists could have been used to purchase essential hospital equipment, directly improving healthcare delivery and positively influencing Nigeria’s image.

“This $9 million is sufficient to fund the entire 2024 capital budget for at least one major teaching hospital in each zone, enhancing survival rates, care, and life expectancy,” Obi said.

Obi emphasized that Nigeria’s problem is not the absence of funds but the lack of prioritization, discipline, and effective leadership.

“Every naira of taxpayers’ money should serve the Nigerian people. Instead, citizens are dying in failing hospitals while the government pays foreigners to pretend that everything is fine. We cannot continue to live in an illusion while our reality deteriorates. This constant prioritization of trivial matters must come to an end,” he declared.