The flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP) during the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, on Thursday hit out at the government over the ongoing demolition of properties across Nigeria.

Obi in a statement on X said he has been following the demolitions with complete despondency and unhappiness, especially knowing the extra hardship such acts have been heaping on hapless citizens who are already battling with multi-dimensional poverty.

“What a responsive government should be doing under the current harsh economic conditions in the country is to come up with measures aimed at alleviating the people’s hardships and to carry out measures that will take more people out of poverty,” he said.

“Even if there are some violations as the governments are claiming, this critical time is not auspicious for such an exercise knowing the hardship in the land and the consequences it will have on the poor who are struggling to make ends meet with their little resources.”

He stated that the poor Nigerians who are putting their meager resources are going through very severe financial stress that should not be multiplied further.

Obi said this is because in some peculiar cases, the properties being demolished are the life time savings and retirement abodes of the aged and incapacitated.

He has, therefore made an appeal to the respective governments involved in this act to consider the hardship in the country and try and put a human face to their actions.

The former governor of Anambra state added that while it is important to enforce sensible regulations, all actions of government must show compassion to the citizens.