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The Labour Party presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi has said attributed insecurity challenges, as the major cause of unemployment and poverty bedevilling Africa with over 50 per cent of the population multi-dimensionally poor.
The former governor of Anambra was speaking on Saturday in Athens, Greece’s capital, at an international dialogue of global leaders that includes former Presidents and top government officials.
Obi highlighted unemployment, corruption, poverty, and inequality among the variables militating against security and peaceful co-existence in Africa.
He said, “I joined global leaders, former presidents, prime ministers, serving and retired senior government officials, military chiefs, renowned academics, and sports personalities in leadership dialogue focused on governance.
“This is particularly in the areas of security and the economy in today’s world, and the lessons for future leaders.
“In my brief presentation, I emphasised that as leaders, we must acknowledge the profound global and generational transformations confronting us,” he said.
He explained that despite vast human and material resources, there remained significant unmet needs in global governance.
He underscored the need for urgent attention to enhancing collective security, lifting people out of poverty, and reducing injustice and inequality in society.
“In Africa, we face high levels of insecurity, alarming corruption, worsening poverty, huge youth unemployment, and gross inequality.
“Non-state actors have now taken over the security in some African nations, furthermore, many African countries under-invest in critical areas of development, such as health and education.
“Future African leaders must take bold, accelerated, just, and transformative actions to achieve far-reaching, people-centred development,” he added.
