Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has said that Nigeria now has three times more people living in poverty than China, Vietnam, and Indonesia combined. He made this revelation while delivering a lecture at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, where he was invited to speak on the topic, “Politics and Change in Nigeria.”
Obi expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s economic and developmental decline, which he squarely blamed on the failure of political leadership. According to him, despite having once shared similar developmental standings with countries like China, Vietnam, and Indonesia, Nigeria has fallen far behind due to the absence of visionary and competent leaders.
Citing data from the Human Development Index (HDI) and GDP per capita, Obi compared Nigeria’s trajectory with that of the three Asian countries. He noted that in 1990, all four countries were classified under the same medium HDI category. At the time, Nigeria had a GDP per capita of $556, which was higher than China’s $317 and Vietnam’s meager $99. Indonesia’s figure stood at $578.
However, 35 years later, Nigeria has dropped into the low HDI category, while China, Vietnam, and Indonesia have climbed into the high HDI category. Their economic progress, Obi lamented, is stark compared to Nigeria’s decline. Presently, Vietnam and Indonesia have GDP per capita figures of $4,400 and $5,000 respectively, while China’s has soared to $13,000. Nigeria, on the other hand, trails far behind, with a per capita GDP that is now only a fraction of those countries.
In terms of poverty statistics, the Labour Party leader described Nigeria’s situation as alarming. He stated that in 1990, Nigeria had the fewest number of poor people among the four countries, with about 50 million people living in poverty. In contrast, China had 750 million, Indonesia had 85 million, and Vietnam had 60 million. Today, however, Nigeria has overtaken them all—combined—highlighting a drastic reversal in fortunes.
“What did these countries do differently?” Obi asked rhetorically. “They embraced political leadership with competence, character, and compassion—leaders who prioritized education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation. Nigeria, unfortunately, has suffered from a chronic lack of such leadership.”
Obi emphasized that the solution to Nigeria’s developmental crisis lies not in mere policy documents but in electing capable leaders who have the will and integrity to invest in human capital and national infrastructure. He stressed that transformational leadership is the missing link in Nigeria’s development and that without it, the cycle of poverty will only deepen.
His speech, which has since sparked debate across social and political circles, is being hailed by supporters as a powerful call to action, while critics argue it underscores the need for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s governance structure.
