Over 60% of Nigerians live in poverty – Obi

Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in last year’s general election, Peter Obi, has said the security challenges bedeviling Africa are directly linked to poverty, with over 50% of the population multi-dimensionally poor.

Speaking at the weekend in Athens, Greece’s capital, at an international dialogue of global leaders that includes former Presidents and top government officials, Obi also listed unemployment, corruption, poverty, and inequality among the variables militating against security and peaceful co-existence in Africa.

“I joined global leaders, former presidents, prime ministers, serving and retired senior government officials, military chiefs, renowned academics, sports personalities, and others in Athens, Greece, for a Leadership Dialogue focused on governance, particularly in the areas of security and the economy in today’s world, and the lessons for future leaders.

“In my brief presentation, I emphasized that as leaders, we must acknowledge the profound global and generational transformations confronting us. Despite vast human and material resources, there remain significant unmet needs in global governance,” Obi said in a statement signed by his spokesman, Ibrahim Umar on Saturday.

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The former Anambra State governor said that urgent attention must be given to enhancing collective security, lifting people out of poverty, and reducing injustice and inequality in society.

He said, “In Africa, we face high levels of insecurity, alarming corruption, worsening poverty, huge youth unemployment, and gross inequality. Over 50% of the world’s multidimensional poor live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria and Congo both have over 60% of their populations living in poverty and suffer from unacceptable levels of inequality.

“Non-state actors have now taken over the security in some African nations. Furthermore, many African countries underinvest in critical areas of development, such as health and education.”

Obi said that future African leaders must take bold, accelerated, just, and transformative actions to achieve far-reaching, people-centered development.

“They must confront insecurity head-on and reassure citizens of the state’s ability to maintain security without being undermined by non-state actors. Corruption must be tackled with vigor.

Leaders must invest in critical areas of development to improve health and education while addressing poverty, unemployment, hunger, and other pressing societal challenges.

“Nigeria has all the resources needed to move in this direction, and we remain committed to placing the nation on the right path,” Obi said.