Obi Attributes Insecurity to High Level of Unemployment
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has called on young people in Nigeria to maintain optimism and hope for the impending establishment of a “New Nigeria,” which will, in his words, be centred on the growth and productivity of young people.
Obi made the call on Saturday in his message to mark World Youth Day, WYD.
He said that the nation’s political and economic unrest today shouldn’t deter our young people from fighting for a new and better Nigeria, but rather should inspire them to do so.
He said, “Unless we remain committed to the struggle for a better nation, we will not be able to achieve the New Nigeria of our dreams.
“We must remain resilient and persevere against every hardship and obstacle on our journey to a new nation.”
According to the former governor of Anambra state, if government officials paid attention to youth development and production, many of the country’s problems could be solved.
He attributed the high unemployment rate among the young population in their prime working years to the high level of insecurity, the alarming prevalence of social vices associated with youth, such as drug and other substance addiction, as well as the high inflation rate in the nation.
Obi equally said, “According to reports, Nigeria tops in the ranking of countries with the highest rate of unemployment in the world, with a 33.3 per cent unemployment rate. And further findings show that Nigeria’s unemployment rate would further rise to 40.6per cent, due to the continuous flow of job seekers into the job market.
“With this high rate of youth unemployment where more than half of the population in their productive age are not working, the nation will continue to stagger under the weight of many economic and social challenges.
“It’s only by providing job opportunities and massively supporting the growth of small businesses in the country, that the challenge of high insecurity, rising inflation, etc will be taken care of.”
