The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has described Nigeria’s worsening youth unemployment crisis as a clear failure of leadership, citing a new report that places over 80 million young Nigerians out of work.
Obi made the remarks on Tuesday via a post on X, reacting to findings from an ActionAid/Plan International report which, according to him, shows that Nigeria currently has the highest number of unemployed youths globally due to its population size and weak economic direction.
In his post, Obi stated: “The recent ActionAid/Plan International report, which highlights the devastating fact that over 80 million young Nigerians are unemployed, is an indictment of our leadership and economic direction.” He added that while other countries also face youth unemployment challenges, Nigeria’s situation is far more severe in absolute terms.
Drawing a comparison with South Africa, Obi noted: “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.”
The former Anambra State governor argued that widespread youth joblessness should not be blamed on young people themselves, insisting that governance failures are at the root of the problem. “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,” he said.
Obi further stressed that Nigeria’s demographic structure makes the situation more alarming, noting that young people make up the majority of the population. “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 wrote.
He criticised what he described as misplaced government priorities, accusing leaders of neglecting productive investments. According to Obi, “It is deeply troubling that, rather than investing in these youths as our most productive assets, promoting and supporting MSMEs the drive growth and create employment, we the Leaders chose wasteful spending, corruption, unproductive borrowing, and policies that will shrink opportunities and expand poverty.”
The former presidential candidate maintained that Nigeria’s youths possess the creativity and drive needed to grow the economy but lack supportive leadership. “Nigeria does not lack entrepreneurial and resourceful youths, what we lack are leaders who are intentional about creating opportunities,” he said.
Calling for greater youth participation in governance, Obi urged young Nigerians to take an active role in shaping the country’s future. “We need leadership that will see the youth as the engine of productivity and growth of a nation,” he added, concluding with his signature message: “Nigeria deserves competent, credible, compassionate, and capable leadership… A New Nigeria is POssible.” he said.
Ademide Adebayo
Follow us on:
