Obasanjo laments high rate of poverty in Nigeria

EX- President Olusegun Obasanjo has lamented over the rate of poverty in Nigeria, criticizing the Federal Government for the recent ranking of the country as the poorest in the world.

Addressing the Lagos State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) executive members in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Obasanjo noted that the nation’s poverty index cannot be separated from the current administration’s handling of the economy.

According to a statement by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi said on Wednesday, “India is with a population of 1.3b and Nigeria is about 800m, yet, we still have the poorest citizens in the world. Nigeria does not deserve this, and this is the truth,” .

Obasanjo also criticized President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term bid, calling on Nigerians to be united in getting the right leadership for the country.

“As you rightly said, this is a hard time economically for us all, except the very few. Is that the type of leadership you want to have for another four years?

“PDP cannot do it alone, ADC cannot do it alone. It must be collective efforts to get the right leadership for the country. Recently, the country was rated as the poorest country in the world,” he added.

The former president further urged leaders of the ADC in improving the nation’s economic situation rather destroying it.

He also lauded the party for allowing women to actively participate in politics, saying development was a true reflection of the society.