{
  "id": 15266407,
  "title": "Economic growth meaningless if citizens are getting poorer – Peter Obi slams Tinubu",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/economic-growth-meaningless-if-citizens-are-getting-poorer-peter-obi",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-17T18:56:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/10/17/economic-growth-meaningless-if-citizens-are-getting-poorer-peter-obi-slams-tinubu/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has harshly criticized Nigeria's economic growth, arguing that it is meaningless if the country's citizens continue to slip into poverty. In a post on X on Saturday, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Obi pointed out that rising poverty levels indicate that the nation is regressing despite its vast human and natural assets. He cited statistics showing that Nigeria's poverty rate increased from 40.1% in 2019 to 56.2% in 2023, with projections suggesting it could reach 63% by 2026. Obi stated that millions of Nigerians are finding it difficult to afford food and healthcare, despite the government's assertions of economic progress.\n\n\"What value is economic growth when citizens are getting poorer, hungrier, and more insecure?\" Obi questioned. He emphasized that growth should be evaluated based on improvements in citizens' living standards rather than merely economic metrics. Obi proposed that Nigeria could have designated Saturday a public holiday to foster reflection on the nation's escalating poverty crisis. \"Today should not have been celebrated, but used for national introspection on how a country abundant in human and natural resources has allowed poverty to overwhelm it,\" he stated.\n\nThe former governor of Anambra State maintained that poverty is not an inherent part of Nigeria's future. He believed that capable leadership and careful management of public resources could turn the situation around. Obi recommended increasing investments in education, healthcare, agriculture, and small businesses as strategies to alleviate poverty in the country.",
  "summary": "The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has criticised Nigeria’s economic situation, saying economic growth is meaningless if citizens continue to become poorer. Obi made the remark in a post on X on Saturday, marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. He argued that rising poverty levels showed that […] Economic growth meaningless if…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}