Peter Obi, a former Labour Party presidential candidate, has urged Nigeria’s administration at all levels to immediately shift the country’s attention to vital development sectors, especially poverty alleviation, education, and health.
In a statement released on Tuesday through X, Obi made the plea and cautioned that years of misaligned priorities were to blame for the nation’s rising poverty rates.
“The state of affairs in Nigeria today necessitates immediate and thoughtful action,” he stated. “It is imperative that all governmental levels give priority to important areas of development, especially funding for poverty alleviation, education, and health.”
According to Obi, who cited current World Bank data, the poverty rate among Nigerians living in rural areas has increased to over 75% as of April 2025, while 41.3% of Nigerians living in urban areas are also below the poverty line.
“This demonstrates that poverty is now a national emergency rather than merely a rural crisis,” he said.
The former governor of Anambra State claims that poverty rates are much higher now than they were in the past.
In contrast, according to a World Bank report, approximately 30.9% of Nigerians were living below the international extreme poverty line in 2018–2019. Instead of getting better, that number has more than doubled as of 2025,” he continued.
He blamed the deterioration on what he described as misplaced government priorities over the years.
“These facts confirm that poverty in Nigeria has worsened significantly—and this is no coincidence,” he said. “It is the direct result of years of misplaced priorities. Rather than investing in critical sectors, we have continued to prioritise wasteful spending on non-developmental projects such as conference centres, government houses and lodges, guest houses, and fleets of official vehicles.”
Obi emphasised the need to shift attention to human capital development as the foundation for national transformation.
“We must reassess what truly matters. The decisions we make—what we build, fund, and focus on—must align with the pressing needs of the people,” he said.
He added that Nigeria’s path to development lies in expanding access to quality education and healthcare and in supporting job creation through Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.
“Nigeria must expand access to quality education and healthcare and support job creation by investing in and empowering Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, which are essential for lifting people out of poverty,” Obi stated.
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