The former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has reacted to the announcement that India has overtaken Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP, using the milestone to question Nigeria’s worsening economic fortunes.

According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 2025, India’s nominal GDP is projected at about $4.187 trillion, narrowly surpassing Japan’s $4.186 trillion. India is now setting its sights on overtaking Germany, whose economy stands at approximately $4.74 trillion, to become the world’s third-largest economy.

While describing India’s progress as remarkable, Obi said the development underscores Nigeria’s failure to translate its resources into sustainable economic growth, especially when viewed against the two countries’ comparable trajectories in the past.

Citing World Bank data, Obi noted that at the end of 2007, during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s nominal GDP per capita stood at about $1,816, significantly higher than India’s $1,022. By 2015, at the end of the Yar’Adua/Jonathan era, Nigeria still maintained an advantage, with GDP per capita of around $2,586, compared to India’s $1,584.

However, IMF World Economic Outlook projections show a dramatic reversal by 2025. India’s nominal GDP per capita is expected to rise to about $2,878, while Nigeria’s is projected to fall sharply to around $807.

Obi described the figures as troubling, particularly in light of what he said were significant subsidy savings, substantial revenue growth, and unprecedented levels of borrowing. He disclosed that Nigeria’s combined revenue between 2023 and 2025 is estimated at about ₦200 trillion (approximately $135 billion), yet critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and poverty reduction have seen no meaningful improvement.

According to him, poverty, insecurity, and the collapse of public services have worsened, while businesses—especially small and medium enterprises—are shutting down daily due to lack of support and high operating costs. He also lamented erratic and expensive electricity, alongside the rising cost of rent, transportation, and food, which he said are increasingly beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians.

Obi renewed his call for national unity and a new leadership consensus built on competence, compassion, and character. He stressed the need for a government that prioritizes citizens’ welfare, invests in healthcare, education, infrastructure, agriculture, and technology, and cuts waste while reducing the cost of governance.

He further emphasized transparency and accountability, saying Nigerians must be able to track national progress and hold public officials responsible. Such an approach, he argued, would empower citizens economically, create jobs, support businesses, strengthen security, ensure reliable energy and food security, and restore trust in public institutions.

Obi concluded that only through collective action, transparent governance, and visionary leadership can Nigeria close the widening gap with countries like India and reclaim its economic potential, warning that other nations are already moving ahead and that the time for Nigeria to act is now.

Former Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, on Tuesday shared a personal encounter that highlighted what he described as the deep failures in Nigeria’s healthcare system, saying the country is not poor but poorly governed.

Obi, in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, recounted a conversation he had with a young Nigerian-American nurse during a domestic flight from Owerri to Lagos.

According to him, the encounter occurred on January 4, 2026, after he had attended events in Ughelli, Delta State, and Mgbidi, Imo State. While onboard an Air Peace flight, Obi said he sat beside a 24-year-old nursing school graduate, Chidera Ugwokeba, who was visiting Nigeria for the first time with her parents.

Obi said the young nurse expressed sadness and confusion over the state of basic public services in Nigeria, particularly healthcare. She narrated an incident involving her sister, who sustained a domestic injury and was rushed to what was described as the best government-owned hospital in the area.

Despite the urgency of the situation and visible bleeding, Obi said hospital staff allegedly refused to attend to the patient until payment was made. The family was reportedly shown other patients in critical conditions who were also left unattended due to inability to pay.

After payment was eventually made, the nurse further discovered that the hospital had only one blood-testing machine for all patients, which she said was not sterilised between uses. Obi added that when concerns were raised, hospital staff allegedly warned the family to stop asking questions if they wanted treatment to continue. Despite having paid, the family was still required to purchase all items needed for care.

Obi noted that the nurse said such practices contradicted her training and experience abroad, where treatment precedes payment. She also reportedly disclosed that while her family had considered raising funds through a GoFundMe campaign to support healthcare in Nigeria, relatives discouraged the idea over fears of mismanagement and corruption.

The former Anambra State governor said the conversation took a more emotional turn when the nurse referenced the recent death of boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju, popularly known as “Success,” suggesting the absence of functional ambulances could explain why he was not rushed to a nearby hospital in time.

“She wondered whether Nigeria was simply a poor country,” Obi said, adding that the nurse nonetheless expressed willingness to offer her services free of charge and help raise funds to improve the system.

Responding to her concerns, Obi said he assured her that Nigeria has sufficient resources but lacks competent and compassionate leadership. He argued that misplaced priorities, rather than poverty, are responsible for the collapse of critical services.

To support his argument, Obi cited figures showing that a standard ambulance costs about ₦150 million. He said the ₦60 billion spent on refurbishing the National Conference Centre and rebuilding the Vice President’s residence could have provided about 400 ambulances nationwide. He also stated that the ₦300 billion reportedly spent on an additional presidential jet could have built over 4,000 primary healthcare centres across the country.

Obi concluded by calling for national unity across ethnic, religious, and political lines to demand leadership marked by competence, capacity, compassion, and transparency.