The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has questioned why Nigeria did not declare World Poverty Day a public holiday, saying the occasion should have been used for national reflection on rising poverty.
Obi made the remarks in a post marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, arguing that millions of Nigerians were struggling to afford food and healthcare.
He cited figures in his post showing that Nigeria’s poverty rate rose from 40.1 per cent in 2019 to 56.2 per cent in 2023, with an estimated 63 per cent in 2026.
“What meaning does economic growth have when citizens are getting poorer, hungrier, and more insecure?” Obi asked.
He called for better management of public resources and increased investment in education, healthcare, agriculture and small businesses to address the situation.
Obi added that poverty should not define Nigeria’s future, insisting that a country where citizens could meet their basic needs and live with dignity was possible.
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👉 JOIN GISTSMATE WHATSAPP CHANNELThe post reads:
World Poverty Day: Why Nigeria Should Have Declared Today a Public Holiday
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.
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.
As poverty deepens, the government should genuinely show concern. Perhaps today 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.
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.
A new Nigeria where no citizen goes to bed hungry and where every citizen lives in dignity is POssible and OK. – PO
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