Former Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) during the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, said on Tuesday that poverty is worsening in Nigeria because governments at all levels have abandoned governance.

He stated that Nigerians, especially the well-to-do, must sacrifice to pull the people out of poverty and end the several crises and conflicts in the country.

The former Anambra State governor spoke shortly after donating the sum of N40 million to the Enugu Diocese of the Anglican Communion and the management of Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu. Each of the organisations received N20 million to facilitate their healthcare projects.

Making the donations, Obi regretted that the churches and other organisations are doing the work of government, adding that poverty is worsening in Nigeria because the government has abandoned governance.

At Ihuokpara community, Nkanu East Local Government Council, where the Anglican Church is setting up a primary health centre, Obi stated that what the church was doing would fast-track development and empowerment of the people.
If you look at measurable indices of development, which is hinged on the human development index, the number one is life expectancy, which is health. That is why they say that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. So health is the number one measure of development. So we must invest in it, and as you can see, I am partnering with the Church, which is doing immeasurable work in this regard. That is why I am investing in it.

“The next is education. The more educated a society is, the more it develops. Again, the Church is doing immeasurable work in education. So we need to partner with the Church. We must partner with voluntary agencies to be able to solve this. It is for all of us—anybody, be it a leader in politics, business, in anywhere—we can all join hands in building a better society. Let us do so. I thank the Diocese for this extraordinary work,” he stated.At the Godfrey Okoye Nursing School, Obi encouraged the students to be serious with their studies, highlighting the global and national shortage of nurses.

He added that their skills are in high demand and crucial for the future of healthcare in Nigeria.

He said, “I thank the Church for the wonderful work they are doing everywhere. Let me assure you, I will be a supporter of this project. What you people are doing is what we are supposed to be doing in government. That is the job of government.

If you look at what is happening now, the World Bank report this month showed that poverty is worsening in Nigeria. UNICEF shows that Nigeria is one of the countries with the most malnourished children because we have overtaken India in infant mortality.

“For the students, I urge you to take your studies very seriously. By 2030, the world is going to have a shortage of over 30 million nurses. So you are on the right course. You should take it seriously as something that the world needs.

“Nigeria already needs you. It may not seem like it today, but Nigeria needs about 1.2 million nurses; we have less than 200,000 registered today. So there is a huge demand. We need to have community hospitals, village hospitals. They are not working today because there is a shortage of manpower. So I thank you and urge you to be serious.”

Responding, the Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt. Rev. Samuel Ike, stated that the goal of the Diocese was to provide healthcare, education, empower people, and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and thanked Obi for identifying with the Church.

Guardian