News
SocialMediaTrends: Sambisa twice the size of Israel? How Nigerians are reacting to Peter Obi’s claim

The presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) is trending on social media after making a campaign visit to Calabar, Cross river state.
The ex-Anambra governor pulled a mammoth crowd in Calabar as he continues his state-wide tour in a bid to convince more electorate to vote for him.
His supporters who popularly refer to themselves as Obi-dient and Yusuful people have taken to social media in jubilation over the extent of love the indigenes have shown to Obi.
See how Nigerians are reacting:
Calabar this morning pic.twitter.com/VImqkWkKAX
— J a c k 🇳🇬 (@Jack_ng01) August 13, 2022
Nigerian Youths have shut down Calabar this morning!!!! Calabar is now a state in social media 😁😁😁😁 we move 🤸🏿♂️🤸🏿♂️ Pitobi for President pic.twitter.com/FWLbxPb8SV
— Chief Ikukuoma (@IkukuomaC) August 13, 2022
Obidients in calabar this morning ready for their their Peter Obi walk.
Can you match the energy🔥 pic.twitter.com/2dH6tqOB1H
— Chigozie I. Alex 4 Peter Obi🇳🇬 (@ChigozieIAlex) August 13, 2022
OBI-dient is better than sacrifice
CALABAR is OBI-dient and Yusuful
Obi is coming pic.twitter.com/CMHFSXfVMA— PErEZ (@perererocky5) August 13, 2022
Calabar people Collected the Barton from Nasarawa people 😂😂👏#PeterObi4President2023 pic.twitter.com/ZOesgY31IM
— Columbus (@Chude__) August 13, 2022
Nasarawa Rally✅
Calabar Rally✅Unto the next state please. pic.twitter.com/M9HbkIYC6M
— Ejikeme🌍 (@ejykmykel1) August 13, 2022
Calabar no wan hear ooooo 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Peter is no longer a candidate, he is now a lifestyle for us
The earlier the criminals in power understands it, the better for them pic.twitter.com/HMNissTJaz
— J a c k 🇳🇬 (@Jack_ng01) August 13, 2022
Sambisa Forest claim
Nigerians have also been reacting to Peter Obi’s claim on Sambisa forest.
The Labour Party presidential candidate at the Labour Party and the Coalition for Peter Obi Leadership Summit claimed that Sambisa Forest was double the size of Israel.
“…Sambisa Forest is twice the size of Israel and it is an agricultural land that can give us food,” Peter Obi stated.
The statement has been subjected to different fact-checking by Nigerians, as some maintained that the statement was figurative adding that Sambisa was actually bigger than Israel.
Others criticized Obi, labeling the statement as one of his ‘fake facts’.
See how Nigerians are reacting:
"Sambisa Forest is twice the size of Israel"
– Peter Obi pic.twitter.com/GfZeWovSYi
— ♡🍃 @OneJoblessBoy 🐳 (@OneJoblessBoy) August 12, 2022
He's lying ah swear…
Beause I am from Borno State, precisely Maiduguri— A D A M S 🕸 (@Adermss) August 13, 2022
Sambisa Forest is around 518km² in size while Israel is around 22,072 km2 in size. But the lying bazooka of Africa, container economist emeritus, Peter I-Too-Dey-Lie Èkúté Obi said Sambisa Forest is twice the size of Israel.
Allahu Akbar.
— KING KUKUTE (@Ade_Nurayn) August 13, 2022
Peter Obi said Sambisa forest is twice the size of Israel, we went to verify and discovered that 10 Sambisa forests can be put inside isa Real and you will have more land.
Obi lied again. pic.twitter.com/0Y5k0y4P7Q
— Haruna Lawal Saidu (@Xagreat2) August 13, 2022
Lmaooo… He said Sambisa forest is twice the size of Israel. He also said nothing about Borno. If I heard him right, he said Borno is 17.9k sqm? He's a crooked liar 😂😂😂 https://t.co/4CxJbvYfg5
— ABUDU (@IsoloShoemaker) August 12, 2022
He actually said Sambisa forest is twice the size of Israel! I screamed when I heard that 'fabu'
— Dapo Okubanjo (@Dapsieb) August 12, 2022
When he said sambisa forest is twice the size of Israel that's a whole lot of misinformation…
Isreal = 22,145km
Sambisa = 512kmI think his excellence meant to say Borno is twice the size of Israel.
Borno = 70,000+km
I have verified 😊
— Chibuzor Jeremiah (@chibestbuddy) August 13, 2022
Peter Obi said Sambisa forest is twice the size of Israel and his Zombie supporters are hailing him, omo this isn't ordinary again
Peter Obi = dullHis supporters = very dull
— C.e.O. a.W.o.N. c.R.a.Z.y 🇷🇺🤪🤪🇷🇺 (@Virus_pluto) August 12, 2022
“Sambisa Forest is twice the size of Israel” – Peter Obi
Sambisa Forest: pic.twitter.com/STZ9NssIqR
— MaskUpNigeria (@iameneji) August 13, 2022
@peterobi : Sambisa forest is twice the size of Israel.
Fact Check:
Size of Sambisa forest : 518km Sq.
Size of Israel : 22,145Km sq.Him Tu Lie is a mathematical genius.
— Mr Kermit (@O_ssai) August 13, 2022
"Sambisa Forest is twice the size of Israel"
– Peter ObiIs there a name for someone who tells lies and quotes false figures effortlessly? Peter Obi's name needs to be changed; the lying spirit that possessed him is beyond him! pic.twitter.com/ABI6Z2h015
— Ikenga of Africa 🐯 🇳🇬 (@apro_dawildcat) August 13, 2022
Listening to Peter Obi helps me learn….I learn new things about the geography of my country…
— UGONNA (@okesigo_) August 13, 2022
@segalink the issue here is about hatred for @PeterObi the context of his message is more important than exact figures, when we say Nigeria has 200m population, is it exactly 200m? The goal is to give how big it is and not give the exact figures, that's what irony is all about.
— Victor Ebegbuna (@onyemachi) August 13, 2022
…By Hamzat Rasheed
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.