LABOUR Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has warned that Nigeria’s future would remain uncertain and bleak unless it embraces pragmatic, people-focused leadership.
In a statement on his X handle, Obi painted a stark picture of the country’s reality: “Hunger in Nigeria is no longer an invisible shadow; it walks among us. Poverty is not a statistic; it is the struggle etched on the faces of millions of our people.”
Citing United Nations (UN) data, the former Anambra State governor said about 34 million Nigerians are projected to face acute food insecurity this year, while 63 per cent of the population, about 133 million people, already live in multidimensional poverty.
Even with conservative official figures, he lamented that inflation hovers near 30 per cent, while economic mismanagement, high unemployment and rising living costs have hollowed out Nigeria’s once-vibrant middle class, pushing stable families into hardship.
“This is not fate; this is failure, the result of leadership without competence, without compassion and without the courage to put Nigerians first.”
Obi said Argentina is proof that turnaround is possible, recalling that in early last year, over half of Argentines lived in poverty, inflation above 200 per cent and economic confidence had collapsed, but within two years of decisive reforms, poverty dropped to 38.1 per cent, extreme poverty fell to 8.2 per cent, inflation slowed to 2–3 per cent monthly and urban poverty declined to 31.6 per cent.
Noting that both Argentina’s leadership and Nigeria’s current government assumed office in the same year, he argued that while two years may not completely enough to transform a country, it is enough to begin genuine, visible change, if leaders are honest, focused and committed to their people.
He stated: “Nigeria can work; we can feed our people, we can restore dignity. But not while corruption rules and impunity walks free.”
He called for leaders who put people before power, prudence before waste and integrity, not self-interest, leaders willing to cut governance costs, reject corruption and invest heavily in education, healthcare and poverty reduction.
“Other nations have done it. So, can we. A New Nigeria is Possible,” he insisted.
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