Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has criticised recent remarks attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu suggesting that Nigerians are “better off than Kenya and other African countries,” describing the comparison as misleading and reflective of what he called selective benchmarking of economic realities.
Obi, in a strongly worded response titled “From Pharisee to Tax Collector: Rethinking Tinubu’s Kenyan Comparison,” argued that while international comparisons are legitimate tools for assessing national progress, they become problematic when used to downplay domestic hardship. “What is objectionable is not comparison itself, but comparison stripped of credible, verifiable data,” he said, warning against what he described as “downward comparisons that soothe rather than solve.”
He further criticised the use of what he termed non-empirical reasoning in public economic discourse, referencing a past campaign remark by the president, “Na statistics we go shop?” Obi argued that statistics remain essential for governance, saying they are “the language through which nations understand their condition and chart progress.”
Drawing on development indicators, Obi asserted that Kenya outperforms Nigeria in several key areas including Human Development Index, GDP per capita, literacy rate, life expectancy, electricity access, inflation control, and currency stability. He cited figures suggesting Kenya records stronger outcomes across these metrics, while Nigeria continues to face deeper structural challenges.
He concluded that such disparities should prompt greater accountability rather than reassurance through comparative narratives. “If the President considers Kenyans to be suffering despite these stronger figures, then Nigerians are in a far more difficult situation,” he said, urging a posture of “humility, accountability, and commitment to addressing the factors slowing national development.”
