The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has called for a national emergency over youth unemployment in Nigeria, advising young Nigerians to elect competent leaders in upcoming elections.
Obi‘s remarks follow recent ActionAid/Plan International reports indicating that over 80 million young Nigerians are unemployed.
In a statement on Tuesday, Obi expressed concern over Nigeria’s unemployment rate, describing it as an indictment of leadership and the country’s economic direction.
“Nigeria tops the world in the absolute number of unemployed youths due to our large population, with over 80 million youths without jobs. South Africa with a youth unemployment rate of around 60%, translates to about 6 million unemployed youths, still more than 70 million fewer than Nigeria.
“When millions of youths are unemployed, it is not a youth problem, it is a leadership failure. This is the direct result of political greed that has failed to serve the people. Nigeria has one of the largest youth populations in the world, with about 75% of our citizens under the age of 35. With such a large share of the population young, joblessness at this scale should be a national emergency,” he stated.
Obi decried that rather than investing in youth as the country’s most productive assets and promoting and supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to drive growth and create employment, leaders have chosen wasteful spending, corruption, unproductive borrowing, and policies that shrink opportunities and expand poverty, reducing Nigerian youths to easy tools for various forms of vices.
He noted that Nigeria does not lack entrepreneurial and resourceful youths but lacks leaders who are intentional about creating opportunities.
“We need leaders who understand that jobs come from deliberate investments in production and from running a government that is prudent, transparent, and people-centred, that can lift people out of poverty,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor emphasised that Nigeria needs leadership that sees youth as the engine of productivity and national growth.
“This is the time, more than ever, for the Nigerian youths to get involved and ensure they elect leaders who have their best interest and the best interest of our nation,” he remarked.
He added that Nigeria deserves competent, credible, compassionate, and capable leadership that will create opportunities and empower young people.
