Presidential aide O’tega Ogra, who serves as Senior Special Assistant on Digital Communications, Engagement and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has criticised Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his recent praise for Argentina’s economic reforms.

On August 11, Obi stated that the hunger and poverty in Nigeria were caused by leaders who lacked competence, capacity, and compassion.

The former Anambra State governor stressed that Nigeria’s economic hardship is not just a statistic but a real daily struggle for millions of citizens.

Obi compared Nigeria’s poverty and inflation levels with Argentina’s, suggesting that Nigeria should adopt similar reforms.

These reforms in Argentina included removing petrol and electricity subsidies, devaluing the currency, and making significant cuts in public spending, which he claimed led to a big drop in inflation and poverty within two years.

Reacting on Tuesday, Ogra said Obi’s comparison between Argentina under President Javier Milei and Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu leaves out the full economic picture and shows inconsistency in Obi’s stance.

Ogra noted that before Milei’s reforms, Argentina’s inflation was already about 114.2%, and it rose to nearly 289% just four months later, with prices more than tripling within a year.