Peter Obi of the Labour Party says arrogant Nigerian political leaders should take a strong lesson from the Kenyan bloody anti-tax protests.

“We, the Nigerian political leaders, should take a strong lesson from the recent Kenyan experience,” Mr Obi said in a series of tweets on Sunday, referring to three weeks anti-tax protests in the East African country.

Mr Obi, a former Anambra state governor, said unlike Nigerian leaders who hire media thugs to after critics, Kenyan President William Ruto showed “responsive governance” by scrapping the budget for first and second ladies’ office while cutting down that of his advisors by 50 per cent.

“The government took several measures to reduce unnecessary expenditures and demonstrate fiscal responsibility, including cancelling budgets for the First Lady and Second Lady’s offices, dissolving 47 state agencies, suspending nonessential travel for government workers,” Mr Obi said.

He added, “In contrast, we the Nigerian leaders, often arrogantly do the opposite to genuine grievances of our suffering citizens. Instead of addressing legitimate concerns, and being accountable to the people, we resort to using public funds to pay media thugs to insult and abuse those who speak truth to power.”

For three straight weeks, anti-tax protests which broke out on June 18, lasting until early July, disrupted commercial activities despite police violent clamp down on protesters.

Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported that 39 were killed, hundreds injured, and over 30 enforced disappearances were recorded while lamenting police used “excessive and disproportionate force” on protesters.

In the heat of the protests, Mr Ruto withdrew the controversial tax bill, following it up with scrapping of budget for first and second ladies’ office and other cost of governance cutting measures to placate the angry youths.