The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections Peter Obi, has said that Nigeria’s political, economic and security situation is worsening daily, contrary to the positions and claims by the present government.
Obi said at a media chat on Thursday in Abuja that Nigeria needed selfless and exemplary leadership in 2025, according to Daily Trust.
“As we begin the New Year 2025, it has become imperative for me to speak to you as a Nigerian interested in the progress of the country. The political, economic and security situation of our country is worsening daily, despite contrary positions and claims by the government of improvement in different spheres of human endeavour.
“Our national challenges are visibly worsening. Our nation and its fortunes are in clear reverse. The indices are clearly indicative of our decline: our national indices tell a disconcerting story. Nigeria remains one of the poverty capitals of the world, with over 100 million people living in extreme poverty and more than 150 million in multidimensional poverty,” Obi said.
He said that the situation has deteriorated significantly over the past 18 months under the current administration.
According to the former Anambra State Governor, as a nation, Nigeria has fallen from being the largest economy in Africa, with a GDP of $574bn and a per capita income of over $3,500 in 2014, to now ranking fourth on the continent.
“Our current GDP is less than 50% of what it was a decade ago, standing at approximately $200bn, with a per capita income of barely $1,000. Nigeria remains one of the most insecure and least peaceful nations in the world, with countless communities and families displaced from their homes and now living in IDP camps.
“According to the Global Peace Index (GPI), Nigeria ranks 143rd out of 163 countries in terms of peacefulness – an indication of a high level of distress,” he said.
