Peter Obi, the esteemed Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) from the previous year’s general election, articulated that the security dilemmas faced by Africa are intricately intertwined with the pervasive issue of poverty, which affects over 50% of the population living in conditions of multidimensional poverty.
Addressing an international dialogue of global leaders in Athens, Greece, Peter Obi underscored unemployment, corruption, poverty, and inequality as the principal factors obstructing security and the harmonious coexistence within the African continent.
“I joined global leaders, former presidents, prime ministers, 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,” Obi said in a statement signed by his spokesman, Ibrahim Umar, on Saturday.
The former Anambra State governor stressed the urgent need to enhance collective security, reduce poverty, and address inequality.
“In Africa, we face high levels of insecurity, alarming corruption, worsening poverty, huge youth unemployment, and gross inequality. Over 50% of the world’s multidimensional poor live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria and Congo both have over 60% of their populations living in poverty and suffer from unacceptable levels of inequality.”
Peter Obi also expressed concerns that non-state actors have taken over security in some African nations and emphasized that African countries underinvest in critical development areas like health and education.
He urged future African leaders to take bold actions to foster people-centred development. “They must confront insecurity head-on and reassure citizens of the state’s ability to maintain security. Corruption must be tackled with vigor. Leaders must invest in critical areas of development to improve health and education while addressing poverty, unemployment, hunger, and other pressing societal challenges.”
Peter Obi said, “Nigeria has all the resources needed to move in this direction, and we remain committed to placing the nation on the right path.”
