Obi said Nigeria faced increasing difficulties as Tinubu declared an era of prosperity

Presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, used the 66th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence to express his concern over the country’s economic and social conditions, arguing that worsening poverty, insecurity, unemployment and hunger have made the lives of the country’s citizens increasingly difficult.

Obi made the remarks in his Independence Day message on Thursday, hours after President Bola Tinubu delivered his national address saying the country had moved beyond the difficult phase of economic reform and entered an “age of prosperity.”

The former governor of Anambra State criticized the All Progressives Congress-led government, arguing that the challenges facing Nigerians remain formidable despite promises made by 2023.

“Despite the promises made by the APC government in 2023, our country continues to face growing challenges in almost every important sector of national life,” Obi said.

He said poverty and the number of children out of school were among the problems that he said required immediate attention.

“Today, we stand before the world as the country with the highest number of people living in poverty and hardship, more than 140 million people; with the highest number of out-of-school children, more than 80 million; one of the most terrorized and unsafe countries with rampant banditry and kidnapping.”

Obi also expressed concern over the food insecurity and recent deaths of Nigeria’s young generation, while drawing attention to what he described as Nigeria’s dismal infant and maternal mortality rates.

“Recently, we lost 37 young people of working age. Where millions of people struggle to overcome hunger, we are now one of the hungriest countries in the world, 109 people have increased to 115 in recent times and food organizations say that by the end of this year, 40 million people will face extreme hunger.

“We have one of the worst infant and maternal mortality rates in the world today.”

Against this backdrop, Obi argued that Nigeria’s young generation is facing extremely difficult circumstances, and cited unemployment and the prevalence of drugs as additional concerns.

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“Today, Nigeria is the worst country to be born in. Our youth unemployment is the highest; more than 35 million young people are unemployed, and we have one of the worst drug prevalence countries in the world.”

Obi’s comments came on the same day that President Tinubu delivered a very different assessment of the direction of his country’s economy in his 66th Independence Day speech.

Speaking on the theme “From Reform to Prosperity,” Tinubu said the economic reforms undertaken by the government had laid the foundation for a new phase focused on prosperity, job creation and improving living standards.

“Emergency maintenance has been completed. The foundations have been repaired,” Tinubu said, adding that “The main economic task we face has changed. For three years, our main goal was to correct the course of our nation. Now, our goal is simple: shared and widespread prosperity.”

The President acknowledged that millions of Nigerians still struggle with food, education, health and transportation costs, but said that his administration’s goal is to eradicate poverty through sustainable economic growth and increasing productive opportunities.

Tinubu also stated: “Nigeria has improved its situation. We have crossed our own Red Sea. This is not the time to look back.”

These contrasting Independence Day messages highlight the different assessments of Nigeria’s current condition and economic developments expressed by the two political figures.

While Obi focused on the hardships Nigerians were experiencing, Tinubu stated that the difficult period of reform had laid the foundation for a broader era of prosperity.