Nigeria is not poor. Nigeria is poorly led. In this explosive intervention, former Anambra State Governor and former Labour Party Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, confronts the raw truth behind the nation’s decline, exposing how waste, propaganda and reckless priorities are costing lives while leaders spend millions to polish a false image abroad.
$9m for propaganda, hospitals left to rot – a national disgrace
It is tragic and deeply concerning that Nigeria’s leadership continues to prioritise waste, corruption, propaganda and lies over human wellbeing. The reported spending of $9 million of taxpayers’ money on foreign lobbyists in Washington is not an isolated incident. It is a symptom of a broader culture of waste that mirrors the shameful state of our nation today.
According to SKYTREND NEWS findings, this single expenditure represents only a fraction of what is routinely squandered globally in the name of image management, while the real Nigeria bleeds quietly at home.
35 years stuck at the bottom – how leadership failure froze development
To understand the damage caused by such waste, we must examine a critical measure of progress, the Human Development Index. From 1990 to 2025, Nigeria has remained trapped in the low HDI category for 35 years. Meanwhile, countries that started in the same position have surged ahead.
In 1990, Nigeria’s per capita income was three times higher than China’s. Today, China and Indonesia have moved from low to medium and now to high HDI categories. These outcomes were not accidents or miracles. They were the product of deliberate choices and leadership discipline. Development responds to prioritisation, not propaganda.
Health crisis laid bare – lowest life expectancy on earth
The HDI rests on three pillars: health, education and income. Nigeria is failing in all three, but the health sector tells the most heartbreaking story.
Nigeria now records the lowest life expectancy in the world and ranks among the top two countries globally for maternal mortality. For Nigerian women, childbirth has become one of the most dangerous journeys of life. Instead of investing in life saving systems, we divert millions to conceal these failures from international observers.
What ₦14bn could have saved – the teaching hospital reality
The $9 million spent on lobbyists is roughly ₦14 billion. To put this in context, consider the 2024 capital budgets of Nigeria’s premier teaching hospitals, which remain operational today.
University College Hospital Ibadan received ₦2.67 billion. Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria received ₦2.46 billion. University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu received ₦2.8 billion. University of Benin Teaching Hospital received ₦2.43 billion. University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital received ₦1.16 billion. University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital received ₦2.37 billion. Together, these six institutions across the six geopolitical zones received ₦13.9 billion.
This means the $9 million spent abroad could have fully funded the entire capital budget of at least one major teaching hospital in each zone, directly improving survival rates, care quality and life expectancy.
Nigeria’s image is built at home, not in Washington
True national reputation is not bought through lobbyists. It is earned through functional hospitals, educated children and productive citizens. Investing in healthcare infrastructure would have saved lives and naturally improved Nigeria’s global standing.
For verified global development data, see the UNDP Human Development Index https://hdr.undp.org and for public sector accountability benchmarks, visit Transparency International Nigeria https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/nigeria.
Related analysis is available on SKYTREND platforms.
A final warning – stop the illusion, save the people
Every naira of public money must serve Nigerians. Instead, citizens die in failing hospitals while the government pays foreigners to pretend that everything is fine. This path is unacceptable and unsustainable.
The funds exist. What is missing are prioritisation, discipline and leadership with conscience. We must end this addiction to trivialities and choose people over propaganda.
