Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) stated that the vast number of unemployed youths in the North-East region is the most significant contributor to insecurity in the region, as thousands of youths wake up every morning without food or shelter.
Obi stated this during a meeting with North-East stakeholders in Abuja on Monday.
According to him, the North-East, with its vast amount of arable land, has the potential not only to feed the country but also to produce enough cash crops for export. He promised that if he wins the presidential election next year, his administration will make that a reality.
Insecurity, he claims, will be a thing of the past when idle youths engage in legal activities ranging from agriculture to commerce, ensuring the country shifts from consumption to production.
Obi said, “Youth unemployment is nearing 50 per cent, so you have millions of youth in their productive age doing nothing, not knowing where the next meal will come from.
“With that situation, you are going to have crises; crisis of insecurity, crisis of banditry, crisis of kidnapping.
“What I and Datti (Baba-Ahmed) are promising you is number one; that we have the best combination, the best experience to start tackling issue of security and I will say this, hold us responsible.
“Let nobody tell you we cannot solve issue of insecurity in Nigeria, it can be stopped and done very quickly.
“We want to unite Nigeria, we want to see Nigerians being proud of their country again.
“We want to remove Nigeria from where it is today, from consumption to production and when you do that, you start pulling people out of poverty.”
