Catholic Pontiff Pope Leo XIV; and former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have made a case for the poor and hungry in Africa, urging governments not to leave them behind.
 
This came on the heels of the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) warning that more than 33 million Nigerians could face severe hunger and malnutrition in 2026 if urgent and coordinated action is not taken.
 
The warning was issued on Friday in Abuja by the NRCS Secretary-General, Abubakar Kende, during the unveiling of the organisation’s Nutrition Advocacy Plan.
 
The event also featured the induction of Layla Othman, a Nigerian interior designer, writer, businesswoman and reality television presenter, as the society’s Nutrition Ambassador.
 
Kende said the new advocacy plan was designed to mobilise stakeholders, galvanise public awareness, and set a clear path for tackling the worsening hunger and malnutrition crisis across the country. He added that the Red Cross was confident that with the support of philanthropists such as Othman, the organisation could scale up its interventions and expand its reach to vulnerable communities.
  
“The society hopes to make a significant impact in the fight against hunger and malnutrition with the help of its nutrition ambassador and other stakeholders,” he said.
 
In her remarks, Ms Othman expressed appreciation to the Red Cross for the recognition and pledged to support ongoing efforts to reduce hunger and promote proper nutrition across Nigeria.
 
Nigeria ranks 115th of 123 countries assessed in the 2025 Global Hunger Index (GHI), reflecting a hunger situation.  The country’s GHI score of 32.8 is driven by the high proportion of undernourished people, with 19.9 per cent of the population lacking adequate food intake.
 
Child nutrition indicators also remain troubling, as 33.8 per cent of children under five are stunted due to chronic malnutrition, while 11.6 per cent suffer from wasting, indicating acute under-nutrition.

POPE Leo decried poverty yesterday, urging world leaders and Catholics to reach out to marginalised people, as the Church celebrated a “Jubilee of the Poor”.
 
The United States-born pope has made social justice a key theme of his papacy, now in its sixth month since being made head of the world’s Catholics in May following the death of Pope Francis.
 
The Church, Leo said during a Mass at St Peter’s Basilica, is “still wounded by old and new forms of poverty”, but “hopes to be ‘mother of the poor, a place of welcome and justice”.

Yesterday marked a special Jubilee of the Poor, one of many such celebrations during the holy year, which has drawn pilgrims from around the world. It fell on the World Day of the Poor, a yearly observance begun by Francis in 2017.

OBI, on his part, called on Nigerians to adopt bold, transformative reforms that could not only reshape the nation but also position Africa on a path from poverty to lasting prosperity. He delivered a keynote speech via Zoom at the Paul Alaje 2nd Colloquium on Saturday.
 
Speaking to academics, policymakers, and thought leaders gathered virtually in Abuja, Obi described Nigeria as a country rich in talent and resources but held back by decades of mismanagement and poor governance.
 
“Africa has long been a continent of immense potential yet limited results. At the heart of this challenge is Nigeria, our most populous nation and largest economy,” Obi said.
 
He emphasised that prosperity does not occur by chance and that nations chart their futures through deliberate and disciplined action. Obi outlined five key pillars for achieving sustainable growth: shifting from consumption to production, prioritising human capital, strengthening governance and institutions, building a 21st-century economy driven by innovation and technology, and fostering national unity with a shared purpose.