President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigerians do not appreciate their country until they visit neighbouring countries where their citizens eat one meal a day. 

‘‘We have a great country but we do not appreciate it until we visit our neighbours and other countries where the preoccupation is for people to have one good meal a day,” Mr Buhari said.

The president diclosed this while speaking during a project inauguration in Kano on Monday, according to a statement by his spokesperson Femi Adesina. 

“When I fly by helicopter, the number of high-rise buildings I see and the amount of development on the ground are fantastic. We thank God. We thank God. We thank God,” the president further said. 

Before now, Mr Buhari had in his 2022 Independence Day speech admitted that youth “unemployment and poverty” in Nigeria had remained high regardless of efforts by his regime to create more jobs.

Nigerians have witnessed increased economic hardship under the Buhari regime, resulting in massive exodus of young Nigerians abroad for greener pasture. 

Nigeria’s debt profile hit N44 trillion under Mr Buhari’s watch in September 2022, with the debt still projected to hit N77 trillion before Mr Buhari leaves office in May.