Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has lambasted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his claims that Nigerians should take comfort in being better off than some African countries, particularly Kenya.
In a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday titled, “From Pharisee to Tax Collector: Rethinking Tinubu’s Kenyan Comparison,” Obi asked President Tinubu to face reality and stop deceiving Nigerians with propaganda and downplaying the security and economic crisis bedeviling.
SaharaReporters on Friday, April 10, reported that President Tinubu said that although the price of fuel was biting Nigerians hard, everyone should be “thankful” that the situation was better off than Kenya and other African countries.
He made the remarks while addressing stakeholders during his visit to Bayelsa State, where he inaugurated some projects.
During his speech, Tinubu said, ‘’It is very important that we are honest with our people. Yes, I hear you from various angles of the economy. The fuel price is biting hard, but look around, let us thank God together that you are better off.
“Listen to them in Kenya and other African countries, and what they are going through. We will not look back. We will continue to find ways to ameliorate the sufferings of the vulnerable.”
But Obi said that while Tinubu’s remarks may have been intended to soften the impact of economic hardship and rising fuel prices in Nigeria, the “comment risks downplaying the severity of the current crisis”.
According to the former governor of Anambra State, “It echoes the biblical parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the Gospel of Luke (18:9–14). A similar warning is found in the Qur’an (53:32), which cautions against self-righteousness.”
Obi stated that, like the Pharisee who boasted of his superiority over others to mask his own spiritual void, such downward comparisons serve more as a refuge than a remedy.
“This validated an earlier dismissive remark by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu during electioneering: ‘Na statistics we go shop?’ Yet statistics remain indispensable – they are the language through which nations understand their condition and chart progress,” Obi stated.
“No country can develop in isolation from measurable realities or without comparing itself with peers.
“Comparisons, when properly grounded, are not instruments of escapism but tools of accountability. What is objectionable is not comparison itself, but comparison stripped of credible, verifiable data, mere tax collector comparisons that soothe rather than solve.”
Obi further presents a series of comparative data points, arguing that Nigeria lags behind Kenya across several critical development indicators.
“On key development indicators such as security, the Human Development Index, life expectancy, GDP per capita, literacy levels, and electricity access, Kenya consistently outperforms Nigeria,” he said.
“Nigeria is the fourth most terrorised nation in the world, while Kenya is not among the ten worst.”
According to him, “Kenya’s HDI ranking is 143 out of 180 countries, with a coefficient of about 0.630, compared to Nigeria’s ranking of 164 out of 180, with a coefficient of about 0.530.
“Its GDP per capita is roughly $2,200–$2,300, compared to Nigeria’s $807–$835.
“Kenya’s poverty rate is about 43% of the population (approximately 23 million people), while Nigeria’s is about 63% (around 150 million people), over six times that of Kenya.
“Kenya’s life expectancy is about 67 years, while Nigeria’s is about 54 years. The literacy rate in Kenya is approximately 81–85%, compared to Nigeria’s 62–65%.”
Obi also highlighted disparities in infrastructure, education, and macroeconomic stability.
He noted, “Kenya’s electricity access is higher, while Nigeria has one of the lowest levels of electricity access in the world. Kenya has about 3.5 million out-of-school children, while Nigeria has about 20 million.
“Kenya’s inflation rate has been about 4.5% or lower over the past three years, while Nigeria’s has remained above 15% within the same period.”
Obi further stated that Kenya’s exchange rate has been around USD 1 to KES 130 over the past three years, whereas Nigeria’s exchange rate rose from below ₦500/$1 to above ₦1,250/$1 within the same period.
“Even with developments in the Middle East and rising oil prices, Kenyans have not experienced the sharp increases in petroleum product prices seen in Nigeria,” he stressed.
Obi asked President Tinubu to abandon what he described as self-consolatory rhetoric and instead confront the country’s realities with sincerity and responsibility.
“Across other key indicators, Kenya also performs better. In the end, these indices clearly show that Kenya ranks higher than Nigeria on several development metrics,” he said.
Obi noted, “The standard of living of Kenyans is better than that of Nigerians. If the President considers Kenyans to be suffering despite these stronger figures, then Nigerians are in a far more difficult situation.
“He should therefore refrain from self-consolation and, in honest reflection, take responsibility for the situation and make a determined effort to drive improvement.
“This requires a posture of humility, accountability, and commitment to addressing the factors that have slowed Nigeria’s development.”
