The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has once again voiced concerns over Nigeria’s deepening poverty levels, contrasting the situation with the remarkable progress achieved by countries such as China, India, and Vietnam.
Speaking in Lagos at the maiden Lagos Business School All MBA Students Conference, where he delivered the keynote address, Peter Obi emphasized the critical role of disciplined policy execution in driving development. His remarks were shared in a post on his official X handle.
Addressing the theme “Execution as a Competitive Edge,” the former Anambra state governor highlighted that while planning and strategizing remain important, they are ineffective without proper implementation.
“Execution that delivers results is driven by competent and responsible leadership with capacity, compassion, and character to drive disciplined and committed implementation of sound policies and strategies,” he said.
Peter Obi pointed to the achievements of China, India, and Vietnam during the Millennium Development Goals era (2000–2015) and the ongoing Sustainable Development Goals period (2015–2030). According to him, disciplined execution enabled China to lift over 430 million people out of poverty, India 270 million, and Vietnam 45 million, all of which significantly boosted their Human Development Index scores.
Peter Obi expressed disappointment that Nigeria and much of Sub-Saharan Africa have not recorded similar success despite adopting the same global initiatives.
“While these countries and others are lifting people out of poverty, more people are falling into poverty in Nigeria, with over 130 million Nigerians presently classified as multidimensionally poor,” he lamented.
