Maazi Chisom

World Poverty Day: Why Nigeria Should Have Declared Today a Public Holiday Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Sadly, Nigeria has become a symbol of the global poverty crisis. The rising poverty rate, from 40.1 per cent in 2019 to 56.2 per cent in 2023 and an estimated 63 per cent in 2026, shows how a country can move progressively backwards while those in authority appear unconcerned. Millions of Nigerians are now struggling to live, to afford food, and access healthcare. Yet, government narratives often paint a different picture. What meaning does economic growth have when citizens are getting poorer, hungrier, and more insecure? Progress must be measured by improvements in people’s lives. As poverty deepens, the government should genuinely show concern. Perhaps today should have been declared a public holiday, not for celebration, but for national reflection on how a country so richly endowed with human and natural resources has allowed poverty to overcome it. Poverty is not Nigeria’s destiny. With competent leadership, prudent management of public resources, investment in education and healthcare, and support for agriculture and small businesses, we can reverse this trend. A new Nigeria where no citizen goes to bed hungry and where every citizen lives in dignity is POssible and OK. -PO

Today, as I conclude my four-day working visit to the United States, I leave encouraged by the people I met, the conversations we shared, and the enduring hope I saw for a better Nigeria. During the visit, I had the opportunity to engage with prominent personalities and exchange views on issues of importance to Nigeria, the United States, and our people, especially the future of our vast youthful population. One of the most fulfilling parts of the trip was meeting young Nigerian professionals — doctors, lawyers, engineers, technology professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, and business leaders — who are excelling in their various fields while remaining deeply committed to a better Nigeria. My message to them was simple: you are not outsiders to Nigeria’s future; you are an important part of it. The knowledge, experience, and innovation of Nigerians in the diaspora are enormous national assets. We must build a country that welcomes their contribution and gives every Nigerian a meaningful opportunity to participate in our national development. I shared with them my vision of a New Nigeria — a country where the son or daughter of a nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody; where your background does not determine your destination, and where hard work, competence, and integrity matter more than connections. We must move Nigeria from consumption to production. We must invest in education, healthcare, and our people, support enterprise, create productive jobs, and build an economy that gives our young people genuine reasons to believe in their future at home. Our young people should not have to leave Nigeria before their talents are recognised or their dreams become possible. I was also pleased to engage with diaspora media, including NoireTV Network and Adeola Talks, where I shared my thoughts on building a more productive, secure, and prosperous Nigeria. It was a fulfilling visit, but the work continues. I look forward to continuing these conversations with Nigerians at home and across the world. Wherever we may live, we all have a role to play in building the Nigeria we desire. Our challenges are great, but our potential is greater. We have the people, the talent, and the resources to build a country where opportunity is not determined by who you know or where you come from, but by what you can contribute. That is the Nigeria we must build together — a Nigeria that works for everyone. A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO

New Year: A Call for Unity, Truth, Sacrifice, and National Renewal As we enter the New Year, let it symbolize a genuine new beginning for our nation—a time for sober reflection and renewed determination. May this be the year we take our democracy seriously, not just as a ritual of elections, but as a daily commitment to unity, justice, accountability, compassion, and the rule of law. Let it signal the start of a true rebirth for Nigeria, a year when we gather the courage to confront our shortcomings honestly and begin to build a broad national consensus based on integrity, fairness, and shared sacrifice. We call on those in positions of authority to rediscover the sacred duty of truth-telling—about their backgrounds, intentions, policies, actions, and even their health. Leadership thrives on trust, and trust is only possible with honesty. Let this year be one where public office is seen as a solemn call to service rather than a platform for personal enrichment, and where public resources are managed with transparency, discipline, and a deep sense of responsibility to both current and future generations. May this New Year also be a time for compassion and sacrifice, where we consciously put the needs of the poor, the weak, and the forgotten at the center of our national conscience. A nation is not defined by the grandeur of its celebrations but by the dignity of life it offers its citizens. Therefore, let us prioritize a better standard of living over elaborate funerals; let us invest more in hospitals than in hearses, more in schools than in slogans, and more in jobs and productivity than in extravagance and waste. Above all, may this year renew our collective resolve to create a Nigeria that truly works for all—just in its laws, productive in its economy, united in its diversity, and humane in its treatment of every citizen. A new Nigeria is POssible. -PO

Prosperity cannot come by taxing Poverty As I travel the world and meet leaders who have transformed their nations, one lesson is clear: lasting economic and social progress begins with national consensus. Transformative leaders—those who successfully unite their people around a shared vision—share a defining quality: honesty. Government must be transparent and truthful because citizens deserve nothing less from those who lead them. True leaders do not exploit their people to enrich themselves and a few cronies; they build trust, unity, and shared purpose - the foundation of sustainable progress. It is against this standard of honest leadership that Nigeria’s current approach to taxation must be measured. If taxation is to function as a genuine social contract, it must be rooted in sincerity, fairness, and concern for the welfare of the people. Every tax policy should be clearly explained, including its impact on incomes and its expected contribution to national development. Without this transparency, taxation becomes a tool of confusion and burden rather than a mechanism for growth and development. Nigeria must rethink taxation if it is serious about economic growth, national unity, and shared prosperity. The purpose of sound fiscal policy is not merely to raise revenue; it is to make the people wealthier so that the nation itself becomes stronger. Yet today, Nigerians are asked to pay taxes without clarity, explanation, or visible benefit. The solution begins with empowering small and medium-sized enterprises in every community. When small businesses thrive, jobs are created, incomes rise, and the tax base expands naturally. You cannot tax your way out of poverty - you must produce your way out of it. This makes the ongoing tax fraud saga particularly alarming. For the first time in Nigeria’s history, a tax law has reportedly been forged. The National Assembly itself has admitted that the version gazetted is not what was passed into law. Yet citizens are being asked to pay higher taxes under this manipulated framework—without transparency, without explanation, and without corresponding benefits. There is no virtue in celebrating increased government revenue while the people grow poorer. Taxing poverty does not create wealth; it deepens hardship. Any tax system that makes citizens poorer violates the fundamental principles of good governance and sound fiscal policy. Nigeria needs a fair, lawful, and people-centred tax system—one that supports production, rewards enterprise, protects the vulnerable, and restores trust between government and citizens. Only then can taxation become a true tool for unity, growth, and shared prosperity. -PO