Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has reiterated his belief that Nigeria’s northern region possesses the potential to transform the entire country, if properly harnessed.
Speaking on Sunday at a meeting of the National Political Consultative Group (North) in Abuja, Obi expressed concern over the alarming poverty levels in the region, attributing it to a chronic lack of investment and government attention.
“And when you have poverty, you have humanity that you cannot control because when people don’t know where the next meal will come from, you can never control their actions,” Obi said during his address. Referring to the region’s security crisis, he added, “And they easily recruit… it all rests on government to solve it.”
Obi described the north as Nigeria’s “greatest asset,” noting that its vast agricultural potential remains largely untapped.
“I’ve always said the north can change Nigeria,” he declared. “We can make more money from agriculture than we make from oil.”
Citing comparative figures, Obi noted that “this entire country produces less than six million tonnes of rice; that is less than 10 percent of what Bangladesh produces. Bangladesh is a country that lives on 148,600sq of land that is the size of two northern states: Niger at 76.3 and Borno at 70.8.”
On addressing insecurity, Obi argued that efforts must be focused on lifting people out of poverty, calling for deeper investments in education and youth empowerment.
“The more you pull people out of poverty, the more you solve insecurity. We need to invest in education,” he said. “We can’t talk about free universal basic education when people are not going to school. Our children are not in school.”
Reflecting on his interactions with children in the region, Obi shared a personal observation: “I’ve taken time to go to the north and sat down with the Almajiri children; they are the most brilliant people God created. If they can’t go to school, take the school to them.”
