Pulse.ng : 2025

The Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has said that alot is not right in governance delivery and policies of President Bola Tinubu's administration.

According to Peter Obi Media Reports Spokesman, Ibrahim Umar, Obi said this in a national broadcast in Abuja to mark the 12th Democracy Day titled ‘Democracy in Decline Reflecting on Two Years of Tinubu’s Governance’

He called on the President to stop touring outside Nigeria and use his remaining two years to tour the Nigerian states instead.

On how democracy can be deepened, Obi said there must be an end to the era of absolute disregard for the rule of law and the checks and balances required of any worthwhile democracy.

“Rules, regulations are requirements to participate in elections or be elected for are not followed, consequently, individuals who are to be disqualified ab initio are now holding, including public offices”

He expressed sadness that “Nigerians live in a worsening and worrisome insecurity, widespread corruption, hunger, and general despondency.

"There are no clear benchmarks for measuring tangible development, as we continue to witness the collapse of key indicators, like education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation, which are presently measuring national progress.

"Our country today can best be described as a nation declining fast in all its facets. The security of lives and property has worsened, and the rule of law is virtually non-existent.

"On May 29th, 2023, when the government was sworn into office, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at $364 billion. As of today, it has declined to $188 billion, a decline of almost 50 per cent.

"Nigeria’s GDP per capita was $1,640 as of May 2023, but today it has dropped drastically to about $835, a devastating decline of about 50 per cent.

"Nigerians living in multi-dimensional poverty increased from 38.9 per cent to 54 per cent within this period, with about 129 million Nigerians now living below the poverty line.

He added that the World Bank reported recently that 75 per cent of Nigerians in rural areas now live in poverty as of 2025, and even more than previously recorded in the urban areas.

“Today, more than 18.3 million Nigerian children are out of school, the highest number in the world. The quality of education in Nigeria is also deteriorating rapidly.

"Many of our children are being taught sciences without any science labs and computer studies without any computers.

"Students are now writing WAEC and other national exams in the dark, relying on candles. There are now even glitches in their exams."

On health care services, he decried a worsening situation adding that the United Nations recently reported Nigeria as the world's worst country to give birth, with one death recorded every seven minutes”

"Within the past two years, approximately seven million Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) shut down across Nigeria. Over 80 manufacturing companies have permanently closed their operations.

"Funding costs, including the cost of raw materials and energy, have surged to an incredible level, forcing these manufacturers to shut down.

“Over 15 major multinationals (including GlaxoSmithKline, Diageo, Procter & Gamble, and Shoprite) have exited Nigeria due to the harsh operating environment”

He said that the hunger crisis arising from food insecurity has deepened in these two years. Based on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report.

He noted that despite the trillions of naira purportedly saved from the removal of fuel subsidy, the government had, within two years, borrowed far more money than the administrations before it combined.

“Today, Nigeria’s overall public debt is estimated at close to ₦188 trillion. Brazen Corruption is at its worst under this administration.

"One of the most glaring manifestations of this is the extensive padding of the 2025 national budget.

"BudgIT revealed that about ₦7 trillion was questionably inserted by the National Assembly. These figures suggest a pattern of inflated costs and misappropriation of funds.”

Obi also painted a gory picture of power supply and unemployment, which are getting worse while the government uses propaganda to paint a picture of the actual situation in the country.