Former presidential spokesman, Reno Omokri, has accused the former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of making false claims about Nigeria's debt profile that are deterring foreign investors from the country.
Speaking on Channels Television's Politics Today on Wednesday, Omokri claimed that Obi's statements have created a negative perception that is influencing investment decisions.
"Foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told," Omokri stated.
The former presidential aide specifically refuted Obi's claim that President Tinubu has borrowed more than previous administrations of Yar'adua, Jonathan, and Buhari combined, describing it as "a blatant lie."
Citing data from the Debt Management Office (DMO), Omokri provided figures to counter Obi's assertions: "As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of 63 billion dollars. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing 113 billion dollars. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from 113 billion dollars to 97 billion dollars, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over 14 billion dollars."
Omokri accused Obi of manipulating figures by converting the debt amounts to naira to create a false impression of increased indebtedness under the current administration.
"We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased," he added.
The exchange highlights ongoing tensions between supporters of different political figures as debates about Nigeria's economic management continue to dominate public discourse.
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