The former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi has called on the Nigerian governments at all levels to wage war against poverty and hunger among the masses in order to address criminality.
Mr Obi who stated this in Bauchi on Thursday when he visited Governor Bala Mohammed at the government house, lamented that hunger has pushed many citizens into criminality.
He said that the situation can be drastically reduced if the politicians and public office holders discussed issues that concerns the masses.
According to him, Nigeria with vast arable land is capable of coming out from its present economic predicament if the leaders sincerely discussed ways of tapping the resources through agricultural activities.
Mr. Obi who stated that his visit to Governor Bala Mohammed was aimed at discussing issues of national interest, called on leaders in the country to consider the interest of the people rather than focussing on mundane things.
“I came here basically to discuss about our dear county, to consult His Excellency, been the chairman of PDP Governors Forum, been a critical stakeholder in the Nigerian politics”, he said.
The 2023 LP presidential candidate said, it was necessary for him to be in Bauchi and discuss the future of Nigeria with Bala Mohammed.
“So, it’s just a consultation and discussion that will continue to go on as we talk about the future of this country. All of you are aware where we are today, what is happening in our country and everything, we have to discuss that, we have to discuss issues happening in the North”, he said.
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Obi who differ with assertions that there is criminality in Nigeria, especially the North, observed that the problem with the citizens is poverty and hunger.
“I am a firm believer and I preach it anywhere I go, when people say that there is so much criminality today in Nigeria, especially when people talk about the North and I say no, there is poverty in Nigeria, they have to deal with the issue of poverty, untill you solve the issue of poverty, you cannot address criminality, because people don’t know where the next meal is coming from, no body can hold what they can do”, he stated.
He boasted that Nigeria can be rich from agriculture, going by the vast agricultural land.
“I could see vast uncultivated land, that’s what I have been telling the governors everywhere I go. I just came from a visit to Indonesia the highest Muslim country in the world and I asked question can you see what I am seeing here, every land is cultivated, there is education, there is everything”, said Mr Obi.
He stated that Nigeria need to invest in agriculture to pull the citizens out of poverty and reduce criminality.
He added that there is need for the governments to invest in agriculture, education, health and other critical sectors of the economy to save the future generations from going into drugs and other forms of societal ills.
Mr Obi who lamented that going by the present political situation in Nigeria, some of the politicians are only after mundane things.
“What we are discussing now is political space and mundane things, whether it is budget padding, whether it is sexual harassment, our people are hungry, we need to discuss hunger, we need to discuss poverty, we need to discuss education, we needed to discuss health, what concerns the citizens should be the priority of the political class”, he said.
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