Africa’s Insecurity Tied to Poverty, Unemployment, Says Peter Obi at International Forum

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has said the security challenges bedevilling Africa were directly linked to poverty, with over 50 per cent of the population multi-dimensionally poor.

Speaking at the weekend in Athens, the Greek capital, at an international dialogue of global leaders that includes former Presidents and top government officials, Obi listed unemployment, corruption, poverty, and inequality among the factors militating against security and peaceful co-existence in Africa.

According to a statement by his spokesman,

Ibrahim Umar, Obi said: “I joined global leaders, former presidents, prime ministers, serving and retired senior government officials, military chiefs, renowned academics, sports personalities, and others in Athens, Greece, for a leadership dialogue focused on governance, 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. Despite vast human and material resources, there remain significant unmet needs in global governance,” he explained.

Obi said Africa faces high levels of insecurity, alarming corruption, worsening poverty, huge youth unemployment, and gross inequality.

He noted that urgent attention must be given to enhancing collective security, lifting people out of poverty, and reducing injustice and inequality in society.

The former Anambra State governor said corruption must be tackled with vigour and leaders must invest in critical areas of development to improve health and education while addressing poverty, unemployment, hunger, and other pressing societal challenges.

He attributed poverty to many African countries underinvesting in critical areas of development, such as health and education, calling on future leaders to take bold, accelerated, just and transformative actions to achieve far-reaching and people-centred development.

The LP leader stressed that Nigeria has all the resources needed to move in the right direction if the people are committed to placing the nation on the right path.

“Urgent attention must be given 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. Over 50 per cent of the world’s multidimensional poor live in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria and Congo both have over 60 per cent of their populations living in poverty and suffer from unacceptable levels of inequality. Non-state actors have now taken over the security in some African nations. 

“Furthermore, many African countries underinvest 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.

“They must confront insecurity head-on and reassure citizens of the state’s ability to maintain security without being undermined by non-state actors. Corruption must be tackled with vigour. Leaders must invest in critical areas of development to improve health and education while addressing poverty, unemployment, hunger, and other pressing societal challenges.

“Nigeria has all the resources needed to move in this direction, and we remain committed to placing the nation on the right path.”

Chuks Okocha

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