Obi Delivers Scathing Independence Day Critique: Nation ‘Diminished’ by Decade of APC Rule, Leaders Feast While Masses Starve

The Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, delivered a sharp critique of the nation’s political trajectory, accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) of significantly diminishing what was once a promising nation on the occasion of Nigeria’s Independence Day. Speaking at a press conference on the state of the nation in Abuja on Wednesday, Obi asserted that Nigerians must mobilize to end a political system where the country’s leadership indulges in luxury while the vast majority of citizens endure hunger.

Obi recalled the early promise of Nigeria’s democracy, stating, “In 1999, we overcame military dictatorship and restored democracy, beginning a renewed journey toward prosperity, freedom, and justice. That journey helped us build Africa’s largest economy and strengthen democratic institutions.” However, the former governor then delivered his central accusation: “But over the last decade, under the APC’s incompetent, divisive, and corrupt leadership, Nigeria has been greatly diminished.”

Painting a “bleak picture” of the current economic reality, Obi reminded the press that Nigeria had been poised at independence in 1960 to be not only the Giant of Africa but a potential world powerhouse. Today, he argued, the situation is reversed. He cited that the nation’s total debt stands at about ₦175 trillion, which amounts to nearly 50 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with virtually no corresponding improvement in productive sectors. Furthermore, he highlighted Nigeria’s economic ranking, noting, “Nigeria has fallen to the fourth-largest economy in Africa, behind South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria. Our democracy is now described as ‘undemocratic.'”

The former governor slammed the government’s fiscal policies, arguing that the administration pushed over 15 million people below the poverty line in its first year alone. He pointed out the deepening humanitarian crisis: “Today, more than 150 million Nigerians lack access to basic healthcare, education, water, and sanitation. This number grows daily under an APC government that pursues brutal revenue-driven policies while ignoring the welfare of its people. Nigeria now ranks among the lowest in the world on human development indicators.”

Obi intensified his criticism of the government’s spending priorities, labelling the leadership as indulging in extravagance while the populace is fasting. He claimed the government’s “reckless borrowing” was being used for wasteful consumption rather than investment. “This government taxes struggling citizens and small businesses heavily, while indulging in extravagance. Billions are spent on new presidential jets, yachts, and luxury cars that cost more than the entire 2024 budget for primary healthcare,” he stated. On insecurity, he lamented that Nigerians are increasingly unsafe, alleging that billions of naira had been paid as ransom due to a clear lack of leadership and direction.

Despite the dire assessment, Obi expressed confidence that Nigeria can overcome these challenges with competent, compassionate, and people-centred leadership, citing turnaround examples from nations like Indonesia, Bangladesh, and India. He called on citizens to transform their despair into determination: “The current administration’s failures must not lead us to despair. They should instead fuel our determination to rebuild. Nigeria has the resources, talent, and resilience to become an industrialised nation in record time.” He concluded with a resounding call to action: “We must end a system where leaders feast while the people starve, where politics enriches a few and impoverishes the many.”

The former governor stressed that the “old politics must end,” to be replaced by a “new politics of prosperity” for all, directly contrasting his assessment with President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day nationwide broadcast. President Tinubu had assured Nigerians that with the reforms carried out by his administration, “the worst is over,” and that the nation had finally turned the corner.