former labour party presidential candidate, peter obi, has expressed serious concern over the recent actionaid and plan international report, which states that over eighty million young nigerians are currently unemployed.
writing on his verified x handle this tuesday, obi asserted that this alarming report represents a clear indictment of the country’s current leadership and the direction of its economy.
the former anambra governor highlighted that, given nigeria’s massive population, the country now has the world’s highest number of jobless youths, with more than eighty million young people out of work.
he contrasted this figure with south africa, which has a youth unemployment rate of approximately sixty percent, translating to about six million unemployed youths, a number that is still over seventy million less than nigeria’s total.
obi argued that when such a large population of young people is unemployed, the issue is not a youth problem but a failure of leadership, which he attributes to political greed that has prioritized self-interest over public service.
he pointed out that nigeria has one of the world’s largest youth populations, with about seventy-five percent of its citizens under the age of thirty-five, making joblessness on this scale a national emergency.
obi found it deeply worrying that instead of investing in these youths as the nation’s most productive resource and supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (msmes) to foster growth and job creation, leaders have opted for wasteful spending, corruption, unproductive borrowing, and harmful policies that diminish opportunities, increase poverty, and push nigerian youths towards various criminal activities.
he maintained that nigeria is not lacking in enterprising and resourceful young people but rather in leaders who are intentional about generating opportunities. he stressed the need for leaders who understand that employment results from deliberate investment in production and running a government that is fiscally responsible, transparent, and focused on the populace, which can effectively lift citizens out of poverty.
he concluded by stating that nigeria requires leadership that views young people as the primary source of the nation’s productivity and economic growth. obi urged nigerian youths, now more than ever, to get actively involved and ensure they elect competent, credible, compassionate, and capable leaders who will act in their best interests and the best interests of the nation by creating opportunities and empowering the young population.
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