The former Anambra State governor said Nigeria has become a symbol of the global poverty crisis, with poverty rate rising from 40.1% in 2019 to 56.2% in 2023 and an estimated 63% in 2026.
“Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Sadly, Nigeria has become a symbol of the global poverty crisis. The rising poverty rate, from 40.1 per cent in 2019 to 56.2 per cent in 2023 and an estimated 63 per cent in 2026, shows how a country can move progressively backwards while those in authority appear unconcerned,” Obi said
 ‘Millions Struggling To Live’
Obi decried that millions of Nigerians are now struggling to afford food and access healthcare, while government narratives paint a different picture of progress.
“Millions of Nigerians are now struggling to live, to afford food, and 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 stated.
He suggested that the day should have been observed as a public holiday not for celebration but for sober reflection on how a country so richly endowed with human and natural resources allowed poverty to overtake it.
 Poverty Not Nigeria’s Destiny
The NDC presidential candidate insisted that poverty is not Nigeria’s destiny, stressing that with competent leadership, prudent management of resources and investment in education, healthcare, agriculture and small businesses, the trend can be reversed.
“Poverty is not Nigeria’s destiny. With competent leadership, prudent management of public resources, investment in education and healthcare, and support for agriculture and small businesses, we can reverse this trend,” Obi said.
“A new Nigeria where no citizen goes to bed hungry and where every citizen lives in dignity is POssible,” he added.
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