Former Presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri, has accused Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, of spreading false information about Nigeria’s debt profile, claiming it is deterring foreign investors from the country.

Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.

Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.

“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, 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.

“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.

To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.

“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.

“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.

“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 said.

The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progrssives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has been inaugurated as the Chairman of the Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

This comes days after Dr Ganduje resigned as the National Chairman of the APC, citing urgent and personal matters.

He has since been replaced by Ali Bukar Dalori as the APC’s National Chairman.

A video of the inauguration was posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Gbenga Saka, the Special Adviser on Digital Media to the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo.

Dr Ganduje, a former Governor of Kano State, was inaugurated with other members of the board, including the managing director of FAAN, Ms Olubunmi Kuku; Ms Dorothy Duruaka; Ahmed Ibrahim Suleiman; Nasiru Muazu; Omozojie Okoboh; TP Vembe, and Bridget Gold, who will serve as secretary of the board.

In January, President Bola Tinubu appointed the ex-Kano governor as the FAAN Board Chair.

“As we inaugurate this new board, we carry the weight of expectation that we must continue to foster an environment where aviation can thrive, connect diverse regions, and promote socioeconomic development across our nation.

“The challenges we face are numerous—from infrastructure deficits to the ever-evolving dynamics of global aviation. Yet, I am confident that the wealth of experience and expertise that each of you brings to this board will be instrumental in steering FAAN towards achieving its mission”, Mr Keyamo said while speaking at the event.

The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Mr Peter Obi, has reacted to comments about his previous engagements with former military Head of State, late Gen. Sani Abacha.

Late Gen. Abacha was the Head of State from November 1993 to June 1998. His administration was characterised by widespread corruption, mismanagement of public funds, and a clampdown on journalists and civil actors.

Over the years, critics of Mr Obi have alleged that the former Anambra State governor was among late Gen Abacha’s political appointees and, as such, cannot completely distance himself from the irregularities associated with that administration.

In response to the allegations, Mr Obi, last Wednesday, issued a statement via his social media handles alongside a copy of a letter, which showed he and others were co-opted into the taskforce team for port decongestion in Apapa, Lagos State.

The ex-presidential candidate explained that he met late Gen Abacha when he and other traders approached the ex-military leader on the decongestion of ports in the country.

“As I stated during my interview at the weekend and consistently maintained in the past, I had never met General Sani Abacha before that encounter. Our meeting with him was borne out of collective concern as traders and importers over the prolonged delays in clearing goods at the ports. We approached him not as political actors, but as concerned citizens seeking pragmatic solutions to a matter affecting economic activity and livelihoods,” Mr Obi said.

According to him, “Our intention was clear: to advocate for efficiency, and to propose practical steps towards restoring normalcy in port operations for the benefit of the wider business community and, ultimately, the Nigerian economy.

“This clarification is offered in the interest of truth, to reaffirm that our actions were driven solely by a sense of civic duty and not political ambition.

“I don’t expect this copious evidence to bury this Abacha case because the mischief makers have ulterior motives, but it’s being placed in the public space for posterity and in line with my transparency pledge to Nigerians on any issue I am involved in.”

The letter, published by Mr Obi, was dated April 24, 1996, and signed by Abu Gidado, then Minister of Finance.

The letter titled: ‘Appointment as Co-opted Members of Taskforce on Ports Decongestion’ was addressed to the secretary of Lagos Commerce Association.

In the letter, Mr Obi and Edwin Okeke were asked to serve at Apapa port.