Former Anambra governor and NDC presidential candidate says number of Nigerians facing acute food insecurity has roughly doubled and extreme poverty is approaching 140 million under the current administration.
Peter Obi also described as insensitive President Bola Tinubu’s recent remark to Catholic bishops that hunger has always existed in Nigeria, even before he was born.
In a statement titled “Hunger and the Insensitivity of Mr. President,” issued on Friday, Obi said he watched the comments “with deep concern.” While acknowledging that hunger has long been part of Nigerian life, he argued the remark fails to address the worsening hardship faced by millions today and urged a focus on measurable governance outcomes.
According to Obi, an estimated 17 million Nigerians faced acute food insecurity before the Tinubu administration took office in 2023, driven mainly by insecurity, conflict, banditry and floods. That figure has risen to about 35 million less than three years later. He linked a similar trend to poverty, saying extreme poverty affected roughly 87 million people in 2023 and is now projected to approach 140 million, making Nigeria home to the world’s largest population living in extreme poverty.
Obi accepted that the government inherited serious challenges but insisted leadership is judged by results, not inheritance. He blamed persistent insecurity, poor economic management, fiscal indiscipline, wasteful spending and insufficient investment in productive sectors for deepening the crisis.
He called for prioritised investment in education, healthcare, agriculture, security and small businesses, alongside policies that create jobs, expand production and lift people out of poverty. “A New Nigeria is Possible,” he concluded.
The statement comes amid recent projections from Cadre Harmonisé and other analyses estimating around 34.7–35 million people could face crisis-level or worse food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, and World Bank and PwC figures placing tens of millions more Nigerians in poverty compared with 2023 levels.
Tinubu’s office has previously defended economic reforms as necessary stabilisation measures that have rescued the country from potential bankruptcy, while acknowledging hardships.
Full statement by Peter Obi:
Hunger and the Insensitivity of Mr. President
I watched with deep concern the statement made by President Bola Tinubu to the Catholic Bishops who visited his office, that there has always been hunger in Nigeria, even before he was born.
While it is true that hunger has been a part of human life and has existed in our country for decades, such a statement appears insensitive to the plight of the millions of Nigerians who face worsening economic hardship today. More importantly, we must focus on the facts and the measurable outcomes of governance.
Before the present administration assumed office in 2023, an estimated 17 million Nigerians were facing acute food insecurity, primarily caused by insecurity, armed conflict, widespread banditry, and devastating floods. Today, less than three years later, that number has risen to about 35 million Nigerians. Instead of improving the situation, the crisis has worsened significantly under the current administration.
The same trend is evident in poverty. Before this government took office in 2023, Nigeria’s extreme poverty was estimated at 87 million people. Current projections suggest that this number is approaching 140 million people, making Nigeria home to the largest population of people living in extreme poverty anywhere in the world.
No one disputes that this administration inherited serious challenges. However, leadership is measured not by the challenges inherited but by the results achieved. The government must honestly acknowledge that its response has fallen far short of what the situation demanded, with millions more Nigerians pushed deeper into poverty and hunger.
The combination of persistent insecurity, poor economic management, fiscal indiscipline, wasteful public expenditure, and inadequate investment in productive sectors has compounded the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
A responsible government must prioritise investment in education, healthcare, agriculture, security, and small businesses while pursuing policies that create jobs, expand production, and lift people out of poverty. That remains my commitment to the Nigerian people.
A New Nigeria is Possible. PO
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