During the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, Vice-President Kashim Shettima directed sharp criticism toward opposition figure Peter Obi, arguing that his economic strategy lacks substance and relies on unreliable data.

While the Vice-President acknowledged Obi's position against reinstating the petrol subsidy, he contended that beyond questionable statistical claims, Obi failed to present actionable or meaningful alternatives for the nation's development.

The Bangladesh Policy Comparison and Scale Analogy

A central point of Shettima's critique focused on Obi's previous comparisons between Nigeria and Bangladesh. The Vice-President dismissed the viability of transferring external economic blueprints directly to Nigeria.

To illustrate his point, he used a clothing analogy, suggesting that trying to fit Nigeria's massive demographic framework into an economic model designed for a much smaller nation is fundamentally impractical. He emphasized that managing a population exceeding 250 million people demands policies specifically tailored to local institutions, political environments, and structural realities rather than relying on generalized foreign prescriptions.

Political Friction Over the 2023 Election

Beyond economic policy, Shettima addressed ongoing political tensions, specifically challenging Obi's assertion that he won the 2023 presidential election. The Vice-President characterized that claim as entirely unsupported by factual evidence and described the persistence of the narrative as unrealistic. Furthermore, he dismissed Obi's broader political platform, framing his proposals as outdated approaches rather than a genuine new direction for the country.