Public affairs analyst Mahdi Shehu has warned Nigerians abroad not to rely on a recent remark credited to Senate President Godswill Akpabio about the state of the nation, calling the claim misleading.
Posting on his X handle on Wednesday, the 29th of October, 2025, Shehu accused Akpabio of presenting a rosy picture of Nigeria to those in the diaspora. He said the message was designed to distort the real situation back home and urged Nigerians outside the country to disregard it.
He backed his criticism with harsh statistics about hunger, unemployment, and debt.
“139 million Nigerians are facing visible hunger, 60 million jobless and unemployed youth, and over 30 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition,” Shehu wrote.
“Nigeria’s debt stock is now at N170 trillion and still counting. Come back home at your own risk.”
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Shehu also tied his argument to faith-based references. He cited Psalm 10:7, which states, ‘His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue,’ and Ephesians 5:6, which reads, ‘Let no one deceive you with empty words.’
He accused political leaders of turning dishonesty into routine behaviour.
“Our leaders have made lying a trade and deception a permanent culture,” he said.
Shehu maintained that overseas Nigerians should focus on the real conditions faced by citizens at home rather than political speeches designed to create a false image of progress.