Leadnaija
Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has decried the level of poverty ravaging the African continent.
Obi said that from his point of view, Africa ought not to have any dealings with poverty.
The former governor of Anambra State made this remark during his visit to Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation Magazine, who marked his 65th birthday.
In a post made on X, Obi said he had the honour of visiting Momodu at his Lagos residence.
He said the visit was made ahead of the leadership lecture planned for Momodu’s birthday celebration.
Titled “How to End Hunger and Poverty in Africa”, the lecture would be delivered by a former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, with Goodluck Jonathan as the event’s guest of honour.
Obi, in the post, wrote, “In my discussion with Chief Dele today, my position on the hunger and poverty of Africa remains that Africa should have nothing to do with hunger, but should actually be a powerhouse for the supply of food in the world.”
Also citing reports that Africa remains the second-largest continent, Obi said the continent has the highest uncultivated arable land.
“To give more examples why Africa should have nothing to do with hunger or poverty, Africa’s rice production is about 26 million tonnes, while Bangladesh, with less than 0.5% of Africa’s land (148,000 square km of land), produces over 55 million tonnes of rice. Similarly, India, with about 10% of Africa’s size, produces about 5 times more rice than Africa,” Obi noted.
He further stated that all the continent needs is room to increase its agricultural production to feed its population and improve on development of factories for export purposes.
“All Africa needs is to have a citizen-led governance that prioritises the welfare of its people, by investing in the critical areas of development,” Obi said.
