Our Terms & Conditions | Our Privacy Policy
Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, says hunger and poverty in Nigeria have gone far beyond statistics, describing them as daily realities confronting millions of citizens.
In a post on his X account on Monday, the former Anambra State governor said the country is facing food shortages and multi-dimensional poverty on a scale never experienced before.
“In our country today, hunger and poverty are not just distant statistics; they are the harsh reality that millions of our people face daily,” Obi wrote.
Quoting a recent United Nations report, Obi noted that about 34 million Nigerians are expected to face acute food insecurity, while an estimated 133 million people — roughly 63% of the population — now live in multi-dimensional poverty.
He added that inflation, “even with the suppressed statistics,” is close to 30%, while unemployment and economic mismanagement have almost erased Nigeria’s once-thriving middle class.
“Families who once lived stable lives are now slipping into poverty,” he said, blaming what he called “incompetent leadership without capacity and compassion” for the worsening hardship.
Obi argued that other countries have faced similar crises but managed to turn things around through disciplined governance, sound economic policies, and a focus on human development. He cited Argentina as an example, noting that in early 2024, over 52% of Argentines lived in poverty with inflation above 200%.
“Yet within two years, through decisive action to cut waste in governance and prioritise economic stability, the newly inaugurated president was able to cut the poverty rate to 38.1% from 52%, and extreme poverty fell to 8.2%, with inflation dropping to around 2–3% monthly,” Obi said.
According to him, by 2025, Argentina’s urban poverty rate had declined to 31.6%, investor confidence had grown, and the economy had begun to recover, leading to visible improvements in people’s daily lives.
Advertisement
He stressed that both Argentina’s leader and Nigeria’s current government assumed office in the same year, insisting that while two years may not be enough for a total turnaround, it is sufficient to “kickstart the transformation journey” if leaders are “honest, focused, and committed to the people.”
“Nigeria can work. We can reduce hunger and restore dignity to Nigerians. But this will not happen while corruption and criminality dominate our governance,” Obi said.
He urged leaders to put the people first, manage resources prudently, reject corrupt practices, cut the cost of governance, and focus on critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and poverty reduction.
“A New Nigeria is POssible,” he concluded.
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Aggregated From –
Comments are closed.