Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said that hunger and poverty in Nigeria are the result of incompetent and corrupt leadership that fails to put citizens first.

In a statement on Monday, Obi lamented that millions of Nigerians are trapped in economic hardship, noting that the United Nations projects about 34 million Nigerians will face acute food insecurity, while 63% of the population roughly 133 million people live in multidimensional poverty.

He added that inflation, “even with suppressed statistics,” is near 30%, unemployment remains high, and the middle class is nearly wiped out.

Obi contrasted Nigeria’s situation with Argentina’s recent economic recovery, noting that both nations’ current administrations assumed office in the same year.

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“In Argentina, over 52% of the population lived in poverty by early 2024, with inflation above 200%. Yet, in just two years, decisive action to cut waste in governance and prioritize economic stability reduced poverty to 38.1% and extreme poverty to 8.2%, with inflation down to around 2–3% monthly. Urban poverty fell to 31.6%, lifting millions out of poverty,” Obi said.

According to him, Argentina’s progress proves that while two years may not be enough for a complete national turnaround, it is sufficient to kickstart transformation and deliver visible improvements, if leadership is honest, disciplined, and committed to the people.

He stressed that Nigeria can reduce hunger and restore dignity to its citizens if corruption is eradicated, the cost of governance is cut, and resources are invested in critical sectors like education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation.

“Nigeria will work, but only if leaders commit to tackling corruption, cutting governance costs, and focusing on development, just as other nations have done with remarkable results,” Obi remarked.