Peter Obi Blames Nigeria’s Increasing Poverty On Incompetent Leadership
Labour Party presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi has said that a nation’s destiny is inseparable from the integrity and vision of its leaders.
Obi said this while speaking “Politics and Change in Nigeria” at Johns Hopkins University, United States of America on Thursday
Obi spoke at the invitation of Professor Peter Lewis, author of “Growing Apart: Comparing Indonesia and Nigeria.”
The former Anambra governor said only competent, capable and compassionate political leadership, with integrity could drive sustainable growth and development.
He made a comparative analysis using 35 years of data (1990-2025) from Nigeria, China, Vietnam and Indonesia and concluded that China, Vietnam and Indonesia have each advanced from medium to high Human Development Index (HDI) while Nigeria slipped into the low category according to the United Nations.
He said in 1990, Nigeria’s GDP per capita stood at $556, above China’s $317 and Vietnam’s $99 but in 2025, Nigeria’s per-capita income was just one-fifth of Indonesia’s $5,000 and Vietnam’s $4,400 and less than one-tenth of China’s $13,000.”
Mr. Obi said Nigeria had about 50 million people classified as poor compared to China’s 750 million, Indonesia’s 85 million and Vietnam’s 60 million.
According to him, today, Nigeria has more poor people than China, Indonesia and Vietnam combined.”
He attributed the successes of those countries to the decisive investment in education, healthcare.
He said reducing poverty in any economy required leaders with unwavering character and capacity.
Obi said for Nigeria to solve its many problems, its next generation of leaders must make the welfare and upliftment of all its citizens a priority.
