The Labour Party has expressed disappointment over a statement by President Bola Tinubu in which he said Nigerians were not the only ones suffering from poverty.

Reacting to the president’s comment, National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh in a small described the utterance as making a mockery of Nigerians.

Ifoh noted that the president needed to be reminded that he was elected into office to reduce and not escalate poverty.

According to him: “We are disappointed but not surprised by the comments made by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu about the excruciating poverty his administration’s policies have unleashed on Nigerians since he took office over a year ago.

“It was to say the least disheartening to hear Mr. President mock his citizens by saying Nigerians are not the only ones facing poverty.

“Assuming but not conceding that what he said is true, Nigerians who are at the receiving end of his harsh economic policies don’t need to be reminded about the pain and hunger they have been forced to live with by the very people who put them in that situation in the first place.

“May be this administration needs to be reminded that it was elected to reduce if not eliminate poverty, hunger and disease but what we have seen is an obsession with opulence.

“We are yet to get over the billions appropriated for the renovation of the president and vice president’s lodges, now we hear they want new jets to join the presidential fleet.”

He noted that the same government that claims it cannot afford to pay public servants a living wage has enough to make itself comfortable at the expense of the suffering masses who are still left to grapple with security of their lives.

Noting that the nation’s constitution says the security and welfare of the populace shall be the primary purpose of government, the party advised the president to uphold the constitution he swore to protect.