Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has decried the worsening poverty level in Nigeria, describing it as one of the nation’s greatest challenges.

Atiku made the statement on his verified X handle on Saturday to mark the International Day for Poverty Eradication. He lamented that Nigeria remains among the countries hardest hit by poverty despite its abundant human and natural resources.

According to him, poverty continues to fuel other societal problems such as disease, ignorance, insecurity, and hopelessness, calling for urgent, people-centered interventions to address the crisis. “Poverty is the greatest enemy that humanity has ever known.

Wherever it takes root, whether in the life of an individual or across a society, it breeds other troubles like disease, ignorance, insecurity, and hopelessness,” he said. The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, described the commemoration as a timely reminder and a call to action, urging governments at all levels, civil society organizations, and stakeholders to work together in implementing sustainable solutions that would empower citizens and lift communities out of poverty.

“At both government and community levels, we must take the fight against poverty to every home, every community, and every school so that the ordinary Nigerian becomes part of the solution,” he added. His remarks follow a recent World Bank Nigeria Development Update report, which revealed that 139 million Nigerians still live in poverty amid rising food inflation and insecurity.