The presidential candidate for Nigeria’s Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has sharply criticised the current administration over its spending priorities.
In a television interview marking 25 years of unbroken democracy in Nigeria, Peter Obi highlighted the government’s plans to construct an expensive official residence at a cost of over N20 billion for a indiviadual, whilst much of the population grapples with a lack of housing and homelessness.
In his remarks, the opposition leader questioned how the presidency could claim that “things are difficult” when it was living “conspicuously” by funding such an extravagant project for a single individual.
He contrasted this with Nigeria having “the highest number of people without homes” according to his statement.
Mr Obi’s comments on television, tap into widespread frustrations over economic hardship and inequality that have plagued Africa’s most populous nation in recent years. They represent an effort to portray the government as being detached from the struggles of ordinary Nigerians.
The Labour Party candidate positioned himself as a voice for the masses and a champion for the disadvantaged segments of society during the 2023 campaign.
Critics of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration have accused it of failing to adequately tackle affordable housing shortages, unemployment and stagnant growth. The costly residence project has provided the opposition with fresh ammunition.
While Nigeria has maintained democracy for 25 years, Obi’s forceful criticisms suggest lingering tensions over whether successive governments have delivered economic prosperity and upward mobility for all Nigerians.
