Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has said Nigeria has become a symbol of the global poverty crisis, as the world marked the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Saturday.
Obi noted that the country’s poverty rate has risen from 40.1 per cent in 2019 to 56.2 per cent in 2023, with an estimated 63 per cent in 2026.
He said the trend shows how a nation can move progressively backwards while those in authority appear unconcerned.
According to him, millions of Nigerians are now struggling to live, to afford food and to access healthcare, yet government narratives often paint a different picture.
“What meaning does economic growth have when citizens are getting poorer, hungrier, and more insecure? Progress must be measured by improvements in people’s lives,” he said.
In a post on X handle, Obi said that as poverty deepens, the government should show genuine concern.
He suggested that the day should have been declared a public holiday, not for celebration but for national reflection on how a country so richly endowed with human and natural resources has allowed poverty to overcome it.
He insisted, however, that poverty is not Nigeria’s destiny. He said the trend can be reversed through competent leadership, prudent management of public resources, investment in education and healthcare, and support for agriculture and small businesses.
“A new Nigeria where no citizen goes to bed hungry and where every citizen lives in dignity is possible,” Obi said.
