ABUJA — Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has issued a sharp rebuke of Nigeria’s current socio-economic trajectories, declaring that the country has “no business wallowing in poverty” given its vast endowment of human capital, arable land, and natural resources.
Delivering remarks on the state of the nation, the former Head of State attributed the country’s deepening economic hardship, food insecurity, and rising inflation directly to systemic leadership deficits, policy inconsistencies, and a failure to convert potential into sustainable development.
Obasanjo maintained that no reform agenda or economic program can succeed if its immediate consequences deepen household vulnerability, weaken public trust, and leave citizens worse off. Drawing comparisons to global development models—including China’s success in lifting over 700 million people out of poverty—he stressed that Nigeria possesses all necessary fundamentals to achieve economic self-sufficiency if governed with discipline, accountability, and strategic foresight.
Core Pillars of Obasanjo’s Assessment
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Poverty as a Function of Mismanagement: Obasanjo asserted that Nigeria’s poverty is artificially created through bad governance, crude oil theft, and uncoordinated economic choices rather than a lack of resources.
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Measuring Reform by Citizen Outcomes: He criticized the political class for evaluating performance solely based on policy announcements and macro indicators, stressing that real reform must be measured by tangible improvements in purchasing power, security, and living conditions.
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Education & Security as Non-Negotiable Foundations: The former president reiterated that banishing generational poverty requires two immediate priorities: securing lives and property to restore agricultural productivity, and ensuring universal access to quality education for every Nigerian child.
