Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has vowed to tackle youth unemployment by encouraging a return to agriculture and small-scale entrepreneurship if elected in 2027.
Speaking at an NDC rally in Kaduna on Saturday alongside running mate Rabiu Kwankwaso, Obi said his administration would prioritise production, investment and job creation over consumption-driven policies.
“We will help the youths to find something to do. We will make sure they go back to farm. We will make sure they go back to small businesses. We will support them and tell them the bad effects of drugs,” Obi told supporters.
Obi linked rising drug abuse among young people to unemployment and said the government would combine economic opportunities with education on the dangers of drug use. He cited national population figures in his remarks, saying Nigeria’s roughly 230 million people lag behind countries such as Indonesia, which he said has about 280 million but performs better economically because its youths are employed.
On fiscal policy, Obi said his administration would borrow only for investment purposes. “If you elect us to serve, we will only borrow money for investment. We’re no longer going to borrow money for consumption. We want to move Nigeria from consumption to production. By that, we will create jobs,” he said.
The former Anambra governor also proposed stiffer penalties for those involved in the importation and distribution of illegal drugs, arguing existing laws are inadequate. “If I become president, drugs will fetch life sentence. If you deal in drugs that will kill our youths and everything, you are going to face life imprisonment,” Obi said, adding that, by his account, drug prevalence in Nigeria stands at about 14 percent compared with a global rate of about 5 percent.
Obi said his planned administration would be inclusive and focused on unity and investment as means of addressing unemployment and other national challenges.
