Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has again criticised Nigeria’s economic direction, calling for urgent reforms to shift the country from “consumption to productivity.”
Speaking on the state of the economy during the 25th anniversary of ActionAid in Nigeria, Obi compared Nigeria’s agricultural output—particularly in rice production—to that of Bangladesh, a developing nation he says demonstrates what leadership-driven reforms can achieve.
Obi noted that despite being a Third World country, “Bangladesh produces 10 times the amount of rice we produce,” stressing that Nigeria lacks no natural advantage. “Bangladesh is 158,600 square kilometres of land, yet they produce 50 to 60,000 million metric tonnes of rice,” he said. “We don’t produce 10% of that.”
He explained that two of Nigeria’s largest states put together still fall short of Bangladesh’s productivity levels. “Our two biggest states, Niger and Borno, put together 76.3 and 70.8, put together the amount of rice in Bangladesh,” he said, adding that Bangladesh is densely populated with “almost 1.7 billion people living there.”
Obi argued that Nigeria’s challenges are rooted not in a lack of potential but in governance failures. “It’s not rocket science. It’s leadership. You must dismantle the criminality,” he stated. “And say enough is enough, let’s move this country forward.”
He dismissed the narrative that Nigeria must remain reliant on Western nations, insisting the country has superior natural endowments. “What do you mean by dependent on the West? I can tell you we have better weather than this place. We have better food than they have. Our economy has better potential than that,” Obi said, reflecting on his years abroad. “I’ve lived here for 12 good years. I want to finish that and run back because nobody wants to stay in this weather.”
According to Obi, Nigeria can only unlock its developmental potential by restoring order, investing wisely, and prioritising key sectors. “We want to join that process by having order and civility. That works. And it’s real.”
When asked which sectors should receive immediate attention, Obi identified health, education, and poverty reduction as critical pillars of reform. “Health is number one. Life expectancy today is as low as before; it’s unacceptable,” he said, noting that comparable nations—*“Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Philippines”—*now boast life expectancy above 65 years.
He stressed that Nigeria’s literacy rate remains far behind global peers. “Number two is education, literacy rates. Go and check all these countries, they’re all above 85 in literacy rates. And you are, again, a free soul.”
On poverty, Obi expressed deep concern. “We have more people living in poverty today than in China, with 1.4 billion, and India, with 1.4 billion. What’s the matter with all this? It’s not acceptable.”
Obi, a former governor of Anambra state, also addressed the country’s chronic power shortages, insisting that rapid progress is possible with the right leadership. “Power generation is not rocket science,” he said. “The three countries that changed power generation in five years are Egypt, Vietnam.”
News.ng reports that Obi has repeatedly advocated for a productivity-driven economic model, anchored on agriculture, human capital development, and infrastructure. His latest comments reinforce his long-standing position that Nigeria has the potential to match and surpass its global peers—if governance is reformed and national priorities are reset.
