Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), has described Nigeria as an increasingly difficult place to be born, citing worsening poverty, insecurity, unemployment, hunger and poor social conditions under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.
Obi made the assessment in his Independence Day message as Nigeria marked its 66th Independence Anniversary on Thursday.
The former Anambra State governor said the country had continued to face serious challenges despite the promises made by the APC government in 2023, arguing that conditions had deteriorated across several key areas of national life.
According to Obi, Nigeria now has more than 140 million people living in poverty and hardship, while the number of out-of-school children has risen to more than 80 million.
He also raised concerns about the country’s security situation, citing persistent banditry, kidnapping and terrorism as evidence of the difficulties confronting Nigerians.
Obi further expressed concern over the recent deaths of 37 young people, using the incident to highlight what he described as the broader challenges facing Nigeria’s younger population.
On food security, the former governor said millions of Nigerians were struggling with hunger and warned of a worsening food crisis. He cited figures indicating that Nigeria’s position on global hunger rankings had deteriorated and said food organisations had projected that about 40 million Nigerians could face extreme hunger by the end of the year.
Obi also pointed to Nigeria’s infant and maternal mortality rates as areas requiring urgent attention, arguing that the country continued to record some of the poorest outcomes globally.
He said the situation was particularly concerning for young Nigerians, citing high youth unemployment and drug prevalence among the challenges limiting opportunities for the country’s growing population.
The comments came hours after President Bola Tinubu delivered his Independence Day address, in which he offered a more positive assessment of the country’s economic direction.
Tinubu said Nigeria had moved beyond the most difficult phase of his administration’s economic reforms and was entering a period focused on prosperity and broader economic gains.
The President maintained that the government’s economic reforms had laid the foundation for recovery and said the country had successfully navigated a difficult period of adjustment.
While Obi focused on the continuing social and economic difficulties confronting Nigerians, Tinubu's address emphasised the progress his administration says has been achieved through its economic reform programme.
The contrasting assessments come as Nigeria enters another year of independence amid continued debate over the impact of the government’s policies, the cost of living, security, employment and the country's broader economic outlook.