News

Did Anambra Record 53.7% Poverty Rate Under Peter Obi? [SEE DETAILS]

Published

3 years ago

May 4, 2023

Peter Obi

On April 19, 2023, a Twitter user, @PastorMarvy claimed that Anambra recorded 53.7 per cent poverty rate when the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi was the governor of the state.

@PastorMarvy said this while reacting to a tweet from Obi where he promised to work to mitigate poverty starting from northern Nigeria.

Obi served as the governor of Anambra from March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and June 2007 to March 2014.

The tweets reads: “The guy that had a 53.7% poverty in a population of 4 million as governor of Anambra state wants to pull 128.1 million Northerners out of poverty. This is why many countries sees us as Jokers because what is giving that guy the audacity?” (SIC).

The tweet has generated over 50 retweets and likes as of April 22, 2023.

He later tweeted the photo of President/Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote and BUA Group chairman AbdulSamad Rabiu with a caption that reads :

“These are the people Peter Obi wants to pull out of poverty.”

THE CLAIM

Anambra recorded 53.7 per cent poverty rate during Peter Obi’s era as the governor of the state.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.

Poverty is generally defined as a state of being poor.

The 2010 Poverty report by National Bureau of Statistics captures poverty rates across Nigeria based on three different approaches namely: Absolute Poverty Approach, Relative Poverty Approach and Dollar per day.

According to the report, which documents the average poverty headcount rate across Nigerian states, Anambra recorded 53.7% poverty rate between 2009-10 when Obi was the governor of the state.

Between 2003-2004 before Obi became the governor, the poverty rate in the state stood at 41.4% meaning that the figure increased by about 28% under Peter Obi.

FactCheckHub could not access the poverty report for the period when Obi left the office in March 2014 because the National Bureau of Statistics did not release subsequent poverty reports until 2020. The report shows that Anambra’s poverty rate reduced to 14.8% in 2019.

THE VERDICT

The claim that Anambra recorded a 53.7% poverty rate under Peter Obi’s leadership as the governor of Anambra state is TRUE, according to data obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics.
Source: FactCheckHub

News

EPL: Arteta Gives Update On Havertz, Saliba, Gabriel, Others

Published

2 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has provided the latest update on four of his players ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with Brentford on Wednesday.

The four players are Kai Havertz, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães and Leandro Trossard.

Arteta’s side will host Brentford in a Premier League tie at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.

Arsenal head to the game following a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in their last game over the weekend.

“Kai Havertz is still weeks away,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference as quoted by Fabrizio Romano on Tuesday.

“We are all desperate to have him. I mean, it is a player that, personally, I love so much for what he brings to the team – his character, his personality. I see him suffer, being outside.

“Gabriel Magalhães is doing very well, but it will take weeks to see him back.

“For William Saliba and Leandro Trossard, hopefully it’s a matter of days.

“For Saliba, this one is very bizarre injury… but hopefully it will be a short time out.”

News

BREAKING: Tinubu Nominates New Defence Minister

Published

4 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa, rtd, as the new Minister of Defence.

In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu disclosed Musa’s nomination as the successor to Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, who resigned on Monday.

Musa served as Chief of Defence Staff from 2023 until October 2025. He won the Colin Powell Award for Soldiering in 2012.

Born in Sokoto in 1967, Musa received his primary and secondary education there before attending the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria.

He graduated in 1986 and enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy the same year, earning a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation in 1991.

News

Edo Govt Bars Journalists From Covering Event In State House

Published

4 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Journalists invited by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to cover the declaration of Edo as the official hosts of the 2026 NDDC Sports Festival were on Tuesday barred from covering the event inside the Government House in Benin City.

The journalists had sat at the venue of the event named Presidential Villa inside the Government House at around 11:00 a.m. for the official kick off of the event.

After waiting for over one hour in the Presidential Villa, information came that the venue for the event had been changed to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) office, prompting both the journalists, NDDC officials and other dignitaries to move from the Presidential Villa to the SSG office.

Not too long had both the journalists and other dignitaries seated at the conference hall of the SSG that one of the protocols of the governor popularly known as Pikolo arrived at the hall and announced that the government was informed that only 27 persons were invited for the programme, hence anyone whose name was not in the government list would not be allowed into to the programme when it commences.

A few minutes after Pikolo made the announcement, Chairman of the Edo State chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Kehinde Osaigede stood up to announce that he had been sent a message that the venue had been changed to the initial venue (Presidential Villa).

Moving out of the SSG section of the Government House to the Presidential Villa, journalists came across the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Fred Itua, and when he saw them (journalists) he asked after exchanging pleasantries, “were you invited by the organisers? No, I will not allow you in, this is strictly for State House reporters. The governor is personally attending the programme, so it is strictly for the State House. Presidential Villa? No!”

Shortly after uttering the above words near the Deputy Governor’s section inside the Government House, Itua moved hurriedly to the Presidential Villa section and the gate was shot for screening of persons.

When journalists and others invited got to the gate of the Presidential Villa they were subjected to screening. While some dignitaries were screened in, some journalists and some staff members of the NDDC were shut out of the venue.