Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has issued a clarion call to all tiers of government in Nigeria, urging an immediate redirection of national priorities toward critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and poverty alleviation.
His remarks come amid what he described as a deepening poverty crisis that has transcended rural communities and taken root in Nigeria’s urban centres.
In a statement released on Tuesday via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, Obi painted a stark picture of Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape, citing World Bank data that suggests an alarming rise in poverty levels. According to him, over 75% of Nigerians in rural areas now live below the poverty line, while 41.3% of urban dwellers are also classified as poor as of April 2025.
“This shows that poverty is no longer just a rural crisis—it has become a national emergency,” Obi warned.
The former Anambra State governor did not mince words in diagnosing the roots of the problem. He attributed the worsening poverty rates to “years of misplaced priorities” by successive governments, citing excessive spending on non-productive ventures at the expense of core human development areas.
“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,” he said.
Obi compared the present situation to past statistics, noting that in 2018/2019, only 30.9% of Nigerians lived below the international extreme poverty line. He described the current figures as more than double what they were just a few years ago—an indication, he said, of steady deterioration rather than progress.
Obi called for a national reassessment of developmental goals and the urgent need to invest in people through education, healthcare, and job creation—particularly through support for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which he identified as key drivers of economic recovery.
“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 further emphasized that Nigeria’s pathway to inclusive and sustainable growth must be rooted in human capital development.
“Nigeria must expand access to quality education and healthcare and support job creation by investing in and empowering MSMEs, which are essential for lifting people out of poverty,” he concluded.
