The former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has challenged President Bola Tinubu’s comparison of Nigeria with Kenya and other African countries.
ThelensNG reports that President Tinubu, while commissioning projects executed by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri in Yenagoa on Friday, stated that Nigerians should be grateful for being better off than Kenyans and other African countries, arguing that Kenya is facing deeper economic challenges.
In a statement on Monday, Obi noted that while the President’s remark may have been intended to soften the impact of economic hardship and rising fuel prices, it risks downplaying the severity of the current crisis.
“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. 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. No country can develop in isolation from measurable realities or without comparing itself with peers,” he stated.
Obi argued that comparisons, when properly grounded, are not instruments of escapism but tools of accountability. He stressed that what is objectionable is not comparison itself, but comparison stripped of credible, verifiable data.
He described President Tinubu’s remarks as mere “tax collector” comparisons that soothe rather than solve.
Citing key development indicators such as security, the Human Development Index (HDI), life expectancy, GDP per capita, literacy levels, and electricity access, Obi asserted that Kenya consistently outperforms Nigeria.
“Nigeria is the fourth most terrorised nation in the world, while Kenya is not among the ten worst. 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%,” he noted.
On electricity, Obi pointed out that Kenya’s access rate is higher, while Nigeria has one of the lowest levels of electricity access in the world.
He continued: “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. 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.”
He mentioned that despite developments in the Middle East and rising oil prices, Kenyans have not experienced the sharp increases in petroleum product prices seen in Nigeria.
Obi emphasised that across other key indicators, Kenya also performs better, maintaining that these indices clearly show it ranks higher than Nigeria on several development metrics.
He reiterated that the standard of living of Kenyans is better than that of Nigerians, noting that 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,” Obi said.
This, he added, requires a posture of humility, accountability, and commitment to addressing the factors that have slowed Nigeria’s development.
