Rufai Oseni Questions Peter Obi Record as Anambra Poverty Debate Grows

(Rufai Oseni. Photo by Premuim Times)

Television presenter Rufai Oseni says poverty got worse in Anambra State when Peter Obi was governor, though he acknowledged the former leader did improve education in the state.

Oseni said figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show poverty in Anambra rose from the high 40s to over 50 percent during Obi's time in office.

But he also pointed out that poverty increased across Nigeria, including in Lagos where it hit over 63 percent under President Tinubu.

On the positive side, Oseni credited Obi with a major achievement in education.

Anambra moved from 26th place to first place in West African exam results during his administration.

Oseni argued that both Obi's wins and his shortcomings should be counted when judging his governorship.

He said Obi's real challenge going forward is explaining exactly what he plans to do.

According to Oseni, he wants to see detailed plans from Obi on key issues how he'll generate more electricity, what his healthcare approach will be, how he'll handle fuel subsidies and how he'll grow industries.

seni said he previously asked Obi about expanding power access but never got a clear policy answer.

He wants to know how Obi plans to reach 10,000 megawatts and link that to industrial growth.

On fuel subsidies, Oseni said simply keeping them in place isn't enough Obi needs to explain how he'll control inflation while doing so.