Abuja—The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, has said the rate of hunger and poverty in Nigeria was not just statistics but real.
Obi, who said this in a post on his X handle yesterday, explained that the harsh reality was that millions of Nigerians were grappling with acute food shortages and multi-dimensional poverty at a scale never before seen in the country.
The former Anambra State governor said: “In our country today, hunger and poverty are not just distant statistics; they are also the harsh reality that millions of our people face daily.
“Recently, the United Nations stated that about 34 million Nigerians will face acute food insecurity, and about 63% of our population, which is about 133 million people, now live in multidimensional poverty.
“Inflation, even with the suppressed statistics, is nearly 30%, while unemployment and economic mismanagement have nearly wiped out our once vibrant middle class.
“Families who once lived stable lives are now slipping into poverty. But this is not just ordinary, it is a result of incompetent leadership without capacity and compassion, who are not interested in putting the Nigerian people first in their actions.
“Other nations have faced similar challenges and turned their fortunes around through disciplined leadership, sound economic policies, and a total commitment from the leaders to invest in human development and pulling their people out of poverty. A recent example is what is happening in Argentina.
“In Argentina, over 52% of its population lived in poverty by early 2024, according to the World Bank, with millions of Argentines unable to meet basic needs. Inflation was above 200%, and economic confidence had collapsed.
“Yet, within two years, through decisive action to cut waste in governance and prioritise economic stability, the newly inaugurated president was able to cut down the poverty rate to 38.1% from 52% in just two years, and extreme poverty fell to 8.2%, with inflation just around 2–3% monthly.