Tobias Sylvester
Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi said Nigeria needs to invest more in the youths, stressing that the insecurity in the country is the result of the high rate of unemployment in the nation.
Peter Obi Blames Youth Unemployment For Insecurity
The presidential hopeful stated this on Monday while speaking at the ‘Greater Nigeria Conference’ which was organized by an Igbo think-tank, Nzuko Nmunna, to discuss the need for the south-east to produce the next president.
Obi blamed rising insecurity in the country on the high population of unemployed youths, noting that Nigeria needs to move from being a consuming nation to prioritizing production.
He said, “I thank my brothers and sisters who are also aspiring. I want us to do it in unity and ensure that one of us emerges and is supported by all of us.
“Everyone has talked about injustice in Nigeria and everybody knows that this country thrives on injustice. But beyond that, I want us to look at the true description of a failed state — when a system is no longer in control of its territory, economy. Is Nigeria in control of its territory, economy? And the reason is simple.
“When Pa Adebanjo was talking about Nigeria when it was good, he talked about how the west kept cocoa money, the east kept for palm and the north kept for groundnut. That was when Nigeria was producing. Today, what Nigeria is doing is sharing, sharing, sharing. All I want to do is stop the sharing and start production.
“Development is hinged on human development index (HDI). Let’s invest in education; let’s pull people out of poverty — with 100 million people living in poverty, you’ll have crisis and that’s the crisis we face today.
“I’m a wealth creator and I know what it means to create wealth. I’ve travelled to 31 countries of the world and know that you cannot have 55 percent unemployment, with 70 percent of your youths not knowing where the next meal will come from and you think you’ll have peace. No.
“We need to invest in youths. That’s what’s happening in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, everywhere. I want to invest in youths. The opportunity is for me to move the country from consumption to production.”
KanyiDaily recalls that Peter Obi had recently declared his intention to contest for the 2023 Presidency under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
