₦airaland Forum

"As a governor my cook was killing one cow everyday to cook.” — Peter Obi

Peter Obi speaking at The Platform event in Lagos, where he describes arriving as Anambra governor to find his cook slaughtering one cow daily to feed around 50 people and instructing changes to cook only for himself as a cost-cutting measure.

Obi presented the anecdote to highlight wasteful government spending, arguing that official residences should not function as restaurants and emphasising frugality in public office.

Government House is not a restaurant: Peter Obi’s 2016 Platform speech on wasteful spending

When I started we had about 10 governor’s guest houses. I said, what is a governor going to do with these? I go to work in the morning and go back in the evening. I’ll come back, my cook then will cook food that about 50 people eat. And I said, what is this for? They were killing one cow every day. I said, what is this for? He said, “Your Excellency, I’m doing it in case you come back with people.” I said, have you ever seen me come back here with anybody? So why are you cooking for the people? Any day people will come here, I will let you know. Cook for only one person — me. I said, don’t do it. You know I come from Anambra State. There are too many big men. Of course, like I tell them, I said, don’t allow any of them here. I don’t have what it takes to entertain them. So what they do, they phone me: “Peter, I want to see you.” I tell them, I’ll come to your house in the evening. So I go to his house, because there he’ll bring his champagne and eat his fabulous food, and at times when I’m going, they’ll give me some to take back. Goodbye. But don’t come to government house, because government house is not a restaurant. It’s not a place to drink champagne. A bottle of champagne today costs about 400,000, 500,000. That is the salary of 20 people at 20,000… and you drink it with public money? No, we can’t do that. If you want to do that, you go to your house. So I said to them, no. This is government money. We brought down the cost of feeding the governor…

“As a governor my cook was killing one cow everyday to cook.”

— Peter Lamba Obi pic.twitter.com/ucALeEIVzk

— High Chief Lawrence Igbins Okoro (@HighChiefOkoro) August 24, 2026

Where is the lie in what he said? It was common knowledge that government houses during his era used to kill one cow a day. You may criticise him for being stingy but frugality is what is expected with taxpayer's money.

Only you one cow everyday ? No wonder their was 13 months strike during your poor leadership as governor

The number of people eating in Government house ehhhhh.
During my stay in minna, if you see what a cook brings from IBB's house on a daily. Omorr, na choppings on a regular.

I don't understand this. Was one cow too much or too small to be real?

yarimo:
Only you one cow everyday ? No wonder their was 13 months strike during your poor leadership as governor

How many is slaughtered for the Druggie? Is it one ram everyday?

If stewardship or being frugal is the only quality that determines a good leader, I will campaign for Obi with every breath in me, but behold... leadership is more than that, especially in Nigeria.

Peter Obi is good.

yarimo:
Only you one cow everyday ? No wonder their was 13 months strike during your poor leadership as governor

You're opening your mouth wide in astonishment. How much do you think a cow cost before your Baba removed subsidy?

So PO as a governor dey go big man house and sometimes big man dey give m something...lmao 😂

Poverty stinging laptop boys will think one cow is too big for a government house in Nigeria.... If you know how much your regular law makers eat daily you will understand why many Nigerians took politics as occupation

There are at least over 50 people in a regular government house carrying out their various duties on a normal day so if they want to cook for themselves I believe a cow would suffice (with the kind of stomachs some of them have )

That's why Peter obi likes to reduce hosting guests so he won't add 100 years old whiskey bottles to the expenses like wicked wike the drunk

Gotocourt:
The number of people eating in Government house ehhhhh.
During my stay in minna, if you see what a cook brings from IBB's house on a daily. Omorr, na choppings on a regular.

Government house?
IBB's House?

yarimo:
Only you one cow everyday ? No wonder their was 13 months strike during your poor leadership as governor

You ended up saying nothing and sounding oootupid

blamingthedevil:
“As a governor my cook was killing one cow everyday to cook.”

— Peter Obi

“As a governor my cook was killing one cow everyday to cook.”

— Peter Lamba Obi pic.twitter.com/ucALeEIVzk

— High Chief Lawrence Igbins Okoro (@HighChiefOkoro) August 24, 2026

Nice one. I like that. Me sef I like champagne but not in government house, I will come to your house so we drink it together. Na so e suppose be.



Thank you for your attention to this matter

Seeee TYPICAL Trader talk…….. Can never intellectually tackle or respond to topics that warrant intelligence.

Sooo Pedestrian!

This is the ONE that wants to SAVE Nigeria

Joke of the Century!

WantsandMore:
So PO as a governor dey go big man house and sometimes big man dey give m something...lmao 😂

See eh, Obi should just collapse his structure and either back Tinubu or Atiku. These statements may have been effective in 2023 but the stakes are much higher in 2027 for one to be playing around.

The cost, both legit and illicit, of running government in Nigeria is obscene. Any serious government would do something about it first.

As you no get data to watch the video. He is saying his cook was killing cow to cook for 50people and he stop them, telling the cook to cook for him alone

yarimo:
Only you one cow everyday ? No wonder their was 13 months strike during your poor leadership as governor

A cow everyday is much. Except it’s a small sized cow.

Do they feed 500 people daily in that state house?

Do they offer food to anyone that walks into the house? Are normal people given the room to come in to eat thrice daily?

Only if these cases are true is it sensible to slaughter a cow daily. Even with a staff size of 100 you shouldn’t be slaughtering a cow daily.

Nigeria economy was that good, you can't try that now.

AMINDA:
Where is the lie in what he said? It was common knowledge that government houses during his era used to kill one cow a day. You may criticise him for being stingy but frugality is what is expected with taxpayer's money.

See the logic of someone who thinks himself a deep thinker and political strategist.

Since it was common practice, it means it happened in Anambra as well.

Okay, internet fraud is a common practice in this era, therefore it is true if one says you're a fraudster.

See reasoning abeg. 😂

See the rubbish his supporters have been forcing on Nigerians.

How is killing a cow daily related to good governance. Peter Obi is a big disgrace to his own supporters

One cow every day?! 😂 Haba oga Obi this exaggeration too much na..

Obakoolex:
If stewardship or being frugal is the only quality that determines a good leader, I will campaign for Obi with every breath in me, but behold... leadership is more than that, especially in Nigeria.

Spot on… You’re intelligent!

Obi may be so-called frugal.. But merely being frugal doesn’t make a Competent Leader anywhere in the world.

Failures...are looking for what

PETER OBI said ...what
ARTIKU said

Nobody regards what TINUBU says.

Just imagine YOU from a region that shares Rice talking?

EponObi:
God!! Make 2027 come quick jare. I can't wait for this clueless grass cutter to leave the national scene.

Zero intellect.

Na 50 people go chop one cow?

Kill one cow everyday? E be like say na one underground dem they bring the cow enter to kill, that's why you didn't know one cow is being killed every single day where you reside.

For someone who claims to be frugal and manages resources well, how is your government house kitchen budget funding one cow per day and you didn't detect it until they told you they are cooking one cow per day under your nose.

People in attendance are just laughing because he's entertaining them. Presidential candidate don turn Ali Baba.

You will never see Atiku talk like this, talk less of Tinubu. You claim to be a presidential candidate and your thoughts, thinking process and speech doesn't reflect anything presidential. I can't even imagine Soludo, Peter Mbah or Otti talking like this. Market-to-market trader with market-to-market jam talk.

He even said the cook should be cooking for only him. Your wife and children nko? Your domestic staff nko? So much inconsistency. Anyways, that's expected when you think cho cho cho will lead your to Aso Villa.

Mtchew. Like the poster above said, he's too pedestrian.

50 people cannot finish one cow per day, haba.

People organize parties for more than 50 people and definitely do not have to kill a cow for it. Even the big eateries do not finish one whole cow in one day... Haba na.. They buy their meat in bulk, not one full cow.

I remember saying one time that if this guy mistakenly or great misfortune this guy enters power, we will leave topics like foreign reserve, coastal road and talk talking about cray fish and how Aso Rock now cook with one stove.

Nairalander248:
As you no get data to watch the video. He is saying his cook was killing cow to cook for 50people and he stop them, telling the cook to cook for him alone

Was he using his personal money or government money? Peter Obi is a thief o. One cow everyday for what na? Was there a feast or sacrifice happening daily inside government house that Anambra people didn't know about?

safarifarms:
How many is slaughtered for the Druggie? Is it one ram everyday?

Or one chicken

omenka:
See the logic of someone who thinks himself a deep thinker and political strategist.

Since it was common practice, it means it happened in Anambra as well.

Okay, internet fraud is a common practice in this era, therefore it is true if one says you're a fraudster.

See reasoning abeg. 😂

Do you just think I think of myself as a "deep thinker and political strategist" or deep within you, you consider me to be one? Because I never had any conversation with you where I described myself as such.

The logic in your response is flawed. Obi was an ex-governor and we know it's common practice that government houses (at least in the past, can't say about now due to Tinubunomics) kill one cow a day. I am simply opining that what he said is plausible because it wasn't unusual at the time. You are welcome. I will send an invoice later.