“Why Nigeria Has More Poor People than China, Indonesia, Vietnam Combined,” Peter Obi Speaks

• Peter Obi has highlighted the factors responsible for Nigeria’s economic decline and worsening poverty
• He said decades of failed political leadership have made Nigeria fall behind countries like China, Indonesia, and Vietnam combined, despite having higher GDP per capita than these nations
• Peter, who Obi spoke during a lecture he delivered at Johns Hopkins University, stressed that competent and compassionate leadership is essential for a nation's progress

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has attributed Nigeria’s stunted growth and rising poverty levels to the failure of political leadership over the years.

He also lamented that Nigeria has more poor people than China, Indonesia, Vietnam, combined.

Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra state, made this assertion while delivering a lecture on “Politics and Change in Nigeria” at Johns Hopkins University in the United States on Thursday, April 24.

He was invited by Professor Peter Lewis, renowned author of “Growing Apart: Comparing Indonesia and Nigeria.”

Sharing highlights of the lecture via his a post on his X page on Friday, April 25, Peter Obi emphasised that the fate of a nation is closely tied to the quality of its leadership.

“The failure of a nation depends largely on its Political Leadership. Competent, capable and compassionate political leadership, with integrity, will help nations to achieve sustainable growth and development,” he said.

Peter Obi: "Nigeria has more poor people than China, others"

Obi compared Nigeria’s trajectory over the past 35 years with that of three other developing nations such as China, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

He pointed out that, while these countries have moved into higher categories of human development, Nigeria has regressed despite having a higher GDP per capita.

He also raised concern about Nigeria’s alarming poverty figures, noting that the country now has more poor people than China, Indonesia, and Vietnam combined.

According to Obi, the distinguishing factor in the progress made by these countries lies in their political leadership’s commitment to development-focused policies.

Part of Obi tweet reads:

“In 1990, the year the measurement of the Human Development Index (HDI) was started, these 3 comparable nations, including Nigeria, were all classified under the medium category… 35 years later, 3 of these nations have moved up to the High category of HDI while Nigeria has fallen into the low category.

“In 1990… China had about 750 million people living in poverty… Today, however, Nigeria has more poor people than these 3 countries combined.

“The question then is, what exactly did these countries do to be able to achieve the desired growth and development? That is where political leadership comes in. These comparable nations, and indeed other progressive nations, unlike Nigeria, have competent leadership with character, capacity and compassion, committed to prioritizing investment in critical areas of developmental measures; Education, Health, and pulling people out of poverty.”

Read more about Peter Obi here:

• Peter Obi knocks Nigerian youths
• Nigeria is collapsing - Peter Obi sounds concerning alarm
• ‘Tinubu is doing well,’ Peter Obi speaks, video trends

Peter Obi: How I would have handled Nigeria’s economy

In a trending interview monitored by Legit.ng, Peter Obi, faulted Tinubu's economic policies.

Obi argued that if he were president, he would have prioritised investment in productivity, reduced the cost of governance, and tackled corruption to boost economic growth within two years.

He further confirmed his continued membership in the Labour Party and explained his recent meeting with top opposition figures, including PDP's Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 election.

Source: Legit.ng