Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has exaggerated his achievement in health sector as former governor of Anambra State.
Exaggeration is a great weapon of politicians during politicking. Politicians carelessly exaggerate their skills and performances in offices where necessary purposely to sell themselves to the masses.
They believe followership can only be maintained through misleading and exaggerated statements. They effortlessly embark on journey of exaggeration to build followership too. Peter Obi is not an exemption.
The Labour party presidential candidate while speaking at the town hall meeting on Sunday claimed that he was awarded best governor in health care in Nigeria by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2013.
The town hall meeting was attended by Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Peter Obi, LP’s presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who stood in for Atiku Abubakar, and Kola Abiola, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
Obi while highlighting his achievements in the health sector as former governor of Anambra said his achievement as the best-performing governor in health care, speaks of his capacity to be president if elected.
“When I left office, the only measure of development at that time was the millennium development goals by the United Nations and the Nigeria federal government was run by the party I don’t belong to, I was number one. I was number one in education, I was number one in health – I won the Bill Gates prize,” he said.
However, a check by WITHIN NIGERIA revealed that Peter Obi in 2013 only bagged the best performing governor on the eradication of polio in the south-east from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
He was presented the award which came with a cash prize of N120 million in 2013 by then minister of health, Mohammed Pate.
It was also gathered that only south-east states were considered for the ranking and the focus was specifically limited to state contribution to eradicating polio in the region.
Like many politicians, Peter Obi only exaggerated his achievement in the health sector and made such claims which are misleading and inaccurate at the town hall meeting.