Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s administration over what he described as a wasteful $9 million expenditure on foreign lobbyists.

In a statement on Friday, Mr Obi described the spending as tragic and concerning, stating it reflected misplaced priorities amid persistent development challenges in the country.

“Recently, it was reported that $9 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on lobbyists in Washington, which I believe is just a small fraction of the global waste occurring in the same manner,” the politician said. “This situation aligns with the disgraceful state of Nigeria. It is both tragic and concerning that our leaders continue to prioritize waste, corruption, propaganda, lies, and negative aspects of development over positive initiatives.”

The Nigerian government hired DCI Group with $9 million to plead Nigeria’s cause in Washington and convince U.S. President Donald Trump that Nigeria was seriously working to eliminate terrorists killing Christians in its northern region.

Mr Obi said Nigeria had remained in the low Human Development Index (HDI) category from 1990 to 2025 despite having comparable or better economic indicators than countries such as China and Indonesia at the start of the period.

He noted that while Nigeria had remained stagnant, those countries had advanced to medium and high HDI levels as a result of good leadership.

“This is merely a small example of wasteful spending that has contributed to our nation’s current failing status. To further illustrate the impact of such waste, we can look at a critical measure of development: the Human Development Index (HDI).

“Nigeria has remained stagnant in the low HDI category for 35 years, from 1990 to 2025. In contrast, comparable nations within the same low category, such as China—where Nigeria had a three-fold higher per capita income in 1990—and Indonesia have advanced from low to medium, and now to high categories.

“The achievements of these nations were not the result of fate, miracles, or natural endowments, but rather a consequence of choices and the cumulative effects of good and bad leadership. This underscores the importance of prioritization,” the politician stated.

Mr Obi further recalled that in 1990, Nigeria’s per capita income was about three times higher than China’s, noting that the difference in outcomes reflected policy choices and leadership priorities rather than lack of resources.

The politician stated, “For the 2024 capital budget for teaching hospitals, which remains operational today, the allocations are as follows: ₦2.67 billion to the University College Hospital, Ibadan (South-West), ₦2.46 billion to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria (North-West), ₦2.8 billion to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu (South-East), ₦2.43 billion to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City (South-South), ₦1.16 billion to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin (North-Central), and ₦2.37 billion to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri (North-East), totaling ₦13.9 billion for our premier medical centers.

“The $9 million spent on foreign lobbyists could have been used wisely to purchase essential hospital equipment for Nigerian hospitals, improving our healthcare capabilities and positively influencing our national image.”

Mr Obi described the development as unacceptable, adding taxpayers’ money should be channelled to address urgent domestic needs rather than to manage perceptions abroad.