The Democratic Front (TDF) has accused the former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, of resorting to half-truths again in a bid to demonise and demarket the President Bola Tinubu administration.
Obi had exposed his ignorance claiming that Argentina under Javier Milei was doing better economically than Nigeria under the watch of President Tinubu, whom he said was incompetent.
But in a statement signed by its Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad, and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo, the group argued that economic indices showed that the Tinubu reforms have been less painful than those of Milei in Argentina.
It said: “We note with profound concern the new wave of paranoia that has afflicted the former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, as he indulged in gross misuse of statistics to undermine the startling performance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
”Obi deliberately lied by posting Nigeria’s headline inflation at 30%, when the actual inflation rate for Nigeria is 22.22%. And also falsely claimed that Nigeria’s poverty rate was 63%, as against the actual research-based figure of 40.1%; the 63% figure was a tentative summary of an MPI report of 2022.
”We also reject Obi’s blind arguments that the reported reduction in Argentina’s poverty rate from 52% to 38% indicates that Argentina is doing better than Nigeria in the rate of economic recovery.
”Most appalling for us, is that he rated Argentina, which currently occupies the 3rd among the top 10 countries with the highest inflation rates in the world, higher than Nigeria, in economic growth and recovery.
Despite Nigeria’s current population of 232.7 million as against Argentina’s 45.7 million, the Tinubu administration has kept 84 million individuals in employment, with a 4.3% unemployment rate, while Argentina has 13,368 million people in employment according to CEIC Data, with a 7.8% unemployment rate.
”Meanwhile, Nigeria is nowhere near the top 10 countries with the highest inflation rates in the world, but Argentina is No. 3 on the list, which makes it one of the most expensive countries to live in.
”As a matter of fact, 91% of households in Argentina are heavily indebted because they borrow money to buy food. Contrary to the present situation in Nigeria, where prices of staple foods have considerably reduced beyond economic forecast, on account of massive investment in agriculture by the Tinubu administration.”
The group also gave an insight into what the average Argentine has had to go through under Milei’s chainsaw policy compared to Tinubu’s more pro-people policies.
”In addition to this, Argentina’s economy is yet to recover from the loss of 50,000 jobs in the public sector as a result of President Milei sweeping economic reforms, something that the Nigerian President has not done in 2 years.
”This has led to regular street protests in the major cities of the South American country.
”Also, Argentina is currently in a debt trap, Nigeria is not. So in our view, these indicators confirm that Nigeria edges far and above Argentina, in ongoing economic reforms and development, contrary to Obi’s jaundiced opinion.
”There is no doubt that the reform has also been steadily ushering in a trajectory of upward improvements in the living conditions of the citizens, through job creation, and a sharp reduction in the general cost of living, as indicated by the unprecedented crash in food prices across the country.
The implementation of capital projects that are meant to uplift critical infrastructures in Nigeria in the last two years, is symbolic of the successes recorded in the implementation of pragmatic economic policies.
”We urged Nigerians to regard Obi as a sinister number cruncher with a political agenda. His skills as a statistical charlatan and data fabricator, should not be construed as brilliance or competence, because they are meant to mislead the generality of the Nigerian public,” the statement added.
