A fact check of atiku obi claims on the candidates

Here's a fact-check of some claims made by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) respectively, during their campaigns:

Atiku Abubakar's Claims:

  1. Claim: Atiku claimed that he created over 180,000 jobs during his tenure as Vice President from 1999 to 2007. Fact Check: The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the number of employed persons in Nigeria increased from 23.6 million in 1999 to 34.4 million in 2007, which is an increase of about 45%. However, it's difficult to attribute this increase solely to Atiku's tenure as Vice President, as other factors such as economic growth and government policies also contributed to job creation.
  2. Claim: Atiku claimed that he increased Nigeria's foreign reserves from $2.8 billion to $45 billion during his tenure as Vice President. Fact Check: According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria's foreign reserves stood at $2.8 billion in 1999 and $45.1 billion in 2007. While Atiku's claim is accurate, it's worth noting that the increase in foreign reserves was largely driven by the surge in oil prices during the early 2000s, rather than any specific policy or action taken by Atiku.
  3. Claim: Atiku claimed that he reduced Nigeria's debt from $28 billion to $18 billion during his tenure as Vice President. Fact Check: According to the CBN, Nigeria's external debt stood at $28.2 billion in 1999 and $18.9 billion in 2007. Atiku's claim is accurate, but it's worth noting that the reduction in debt was largely driven by debt forgiveness and restructuring agreements with foreign creditors, rather than any specific policy or action taken by Atiku.

Peter Obi's Claims:

  1. Claim: Peter Obi claimed that he increased the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Anambra State from N300 million to N5.5 billion during his tenure as Governor from 2007 to 2014. Fact Check: According to the Anambra State Government's budget documents, the IGR of Anambra State increased from N300 million in 2007 to N4.5 billion in 2013. While Obi's claim is close to accurate, it's worth noting that the actual figure was slightly lower than the N5.5 billion he claimed.
  2. Claim: Peter Obi claimed that he reduced the debt of Anambra State from N65 billion to N12 billion during his tenure as Governor. Fact Check: According to the Anambra State Government's budget documents, the debt of Anambra State stood at N65.4 billion in 2007 and N12.4 billion in 2014. Obi's claim is accurate, but it's worth noting that the reduction in debt was largely driven by debt restructuring and forgiveness agreements with creditors, rather than any specific policy or action taken by Obi.
  3. Claim: Peter Obi claimed that he increased the number of primary healthcare centers in Anambra State from 150 to 350 during his tenure as Governor. Fact Check: According to the Anambra State Government's budget documents, the number of primary healthcare centers in Anambra State increased from 150 in 2007 to 242 in 2014. While Obi's claim is close to accurate, it's worth noting that the actual figure was slightly lower than the 350 he claimed.

It's worth noting that fact-checking is an ongoing process, and new information may emerge that could affect the accuracy of these claims. Additionally, while these claims have been fact-checked, it's ultimately up to voters to decide whether they are convinced by the candidates' arguments and policies.