Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has refuted claims that he called for Nigeria to be dismantled, insisting during an interview from 0:41 aired on Channels Television on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, that his remarks were misinterpreted.
Obi used the platform to restate his position on national development, stressing that his call was for dismantling harmful systems and not the country itself. He was asked: “Thank you for coming around here to make your own chart. You made a submission of the populace taking ownership of their resources. In December, you also called on Nigeria to be dismantled. Would you like to share more lessons?”
Obi firmly dismissed the claim. “No, I didn’t say dismantled. “No, I didn’t say, don’t go to do that one. I didn’t say, I said dismantle this criminality that is keeping us undeveloped. Let it be clear, I didn’t say dismantle Nigeria. Dismantle this process that keeps us undeveloped,” he replied He emphasised that his message has always been about reform: “That is different. I said everybody have what it takes. So that’s, I never used the word dismantle Nigeria. Dismantle the criminality that keeps us undeveloped. Because we’re not doing the right thing. That’s what I’ve said.”
Obi argued that Nigeria’s challenges stem from a failure to utilise abundant resources: “We’re not doing the right thing. If we’re doing the right thing, we won’t be talking about what he’s saying today. He’s saying today, and I said it in my topic, that we have no reason to be poor. Because we’re a nation endowed with great resources, physical, human, and everything. But we refuse to do the right things.” He highlighted the link between education, development, and poverty reduction: “Everybody knows that today that if you invest in education, the more educated you are, the more developed you are. You need to invest in health. You need to invest in pulling your people out of poverty.”
Obi listed Nigeria’s wealth—oil in the Niger Delta, fertile land in the North, gold deposits and human capital—arguing that underutilisation is the real cause of poverty: “We’re not tapping any of them. So why should we be poor?” He drew comparisons with nations that maximised limited resources: “I cited examples of nations who are smaller, who are living well and everything. Like he mentioned, Singapore, they invested in knowledge. And today they have one of the highest per capita. We have Netherlands, those who invested in their small land space. And today they have huge per capita. We have those who have oil. So, what else?”
Obi said economic progress must be measured by lived experiences, not claims: “Well, let me tell you, it is not something you claim. It’s something you feel. How do you feel? People feel it. It is about the human being. They are the ones who are going to tell you it’s doing well, it’s not doing well.” He argued that if citizens feel no improvement, then governance is failing: “If you’re saying you’re doing the right thing, but nobody is experiencing it, then you’re wrong. Growth is not something you speculate. It is the people.” He concluded with stark economic data: “When you talk about growth, it’s about the people. It’s about your capital. Nigerian per capita in 2015 was $2,600-something. Today it’s under $1,000. So, it’s the people. I’m sure all of you here would have been feeling it. Are you feeling it? So, tell yourself the truth.” View, More,
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