Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has lamented Nigeria’s worsening poverty rate, contrasting it with the progress made by countries like China, India, and Vietnam in lifting millions of their citizens out of poverty through disciplined execution of policies.
Obi stated this in Lagos while delivering the keynote address at the maiden Lagos Business School (LBS) All MBA Students Conference, which also hosted visiting MBA students from Cambridge University’s Judge Business School. He later shared highlights of his remarks in a post on his X platform.
Speaking on the theme “Execution as a Competitive Edge,” Obi emphasized that while planning and strategizing are important, they are meaningless without effective execution.
“Execution that delivers results is driven by competent and responsible leadership with capacity, compassion, and character to drive disciplined and committed implementation of sound policies and strategies,” he said.
Obi cited China, India, and Vietnam as examples of nations where disciplined execution under responsible leadership translated into tangible progress during the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) era (2000–2015) and the ongoing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) period (2015–2030).
According to him, through consistent execution, China lifted over 430 million people out of poverty, India lifted 270 million, while Vietnam lifted 45 million, significantly improving their Human Development Index (HDI).
He, however, expressed regret that Nigeria and much of Sub-Saharan Africa have failed to achieve similar results despite signing on to the same global policies.
“While these countries and others are lifting people out of poverty, more people are falling into poverty in Nigeria, with over 130 million Nigerians presently classified as multidimensionally poor,” he lamented.
The former Anambra State governor stressed that the lack of competent leadership and inconsistent execution has left Nigeria struggling, even as other nations make progress. He further noted that the challenge extends beyond governance, pointing out that many successful companies also owe their sustainability to competent and responsible leadership at board and management levels.
Obi argued that for Nigeria to reverse its decline and deliver lasting positive impact, the nation requires leaders with capacity, compassion, character, and commitment to disciplined execution.
“That is what Nigeria needs today. A New Nigeria is Possible,” he declared.
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