Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has said that Nigeria possesses sufficient resources to provide basic necessities for its citizens, but poor governance and mismanagement continue to undermine national development.
Obi shared his views while recounting an encounter with a young Nigerian nurse, born and trained in the United States, who recently visited Nigeria for the first time.
In a post on his X account on Tuesday, Obi highlighted the tragic road accident involving friends of international boxer Anthony Joshua in Ogun State during the yuletide period. He noted that the incident exposed Nigeria’s weak emergency response system, as victims could have been transported to hospitals immediately if functional ambulances were available.
According to Obi, a standard ambulance costs around N150 million (approximately $100,000), yet Nigeria spent N39 billion to refurbish the National Conference Centre in Abuja and N21 billion on the Vice President’s residence.
“Those two projects alone, N60 billion, could have provided about 400 brand-new ambulances, roughly 11 per state, including the FCT,” he wrote.
Obi added, “Had 11 functional ambulances existed in Ogun State, one might have been available for Joshua.”
He stressed that Nigeria’s challenges stem from poor leadership and mismanagement of resources rather than a lack of funds.
“The country is not poor, but it is poorly governed. Nigeria can afford basic necessities, especially critical and necessary ones, but they are often not considered priorities due to incompetent leadership,” he said.
Obi also contrasted the cost of critical public services with extravagant government expenditures. He noted that building a primary healthcare centre costs about N75 million, yet Nigeria reportedly spent N300 billion (around $200 million) on an additional presidential jet—an amount that could have funded over 4,000 primary healthcare centres, roughly 110 per state.
“The only visible value of the jet is to enable President Bola Tinubu to occasionally disappear without the public knowing where he is,” Obi added.
The former governor referenced the young nurse’s plan to organise a GoFundMe campaign to support healthcare in Nigeria. Relatives discouraged the effort over fears that the funds could be misappropriated.
Despite the challenges, Obi encouraged Nigerians to remain hopeful, insisting that with responsible leadership, the country can meet the basic needs of its citizens.
