Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has blamed Nigeria’s worsening youth unemployment crisis on what he described as leadership failure and a deteriorating economy under Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Obi made the remarks while reacting to a recent ActionAid and Plan International report which estimates that over 80 million young Nigerians are currently unemployed.
In a statement shared on X, Obi said Nigeria now ranks highest globally in the absolute number of unemployed youths, a situation he attributed to poor economic direction and ineffective leadership.
He compared Nigeria’s figures with South Africa, noting that although South Africa’s youth unemployment rate is about 60 percent, it translates to roughly six million unemployed youths more than 70 million fewer than Nigeria’s total.
Obi stressed that unemployment on such a massive scale should not be blamed on young people but seen as a national leadership and economic failure.
He warned that with about 75 percent of Nigeria’s population under the age of 35, widespread joblessness represents a national emergency that threatens social stability and long-term development.
The former Anambra State governor criticised what he described as wasteful spending, corruption, unproductive borrowing, and economic policies that shrink opportunities and expand poverty.
He called for a shift toward prudent, transparent, and people-centred governance, urging deliberate investment in production and stronger support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to drive job creation.
Obi also encouraged Nigerian youths to become more politically engaged to ensure the emergence of competent, credible and compassionate leadership.
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