Peter Obi Identifies Northern Nigeria as Nation's Greatest Asset

Peter Obi, the Labour Party's candidate for the 2023 presidential election, has declared Northern Nigeria to be the country's most valuable asset, pointing to its substantial agricultural capacity and human resources.

During a recent interview on Arise Television's Prime Time programme, Obi emphasized that the region's extensive tracts of undeveloped land hold the key to future economic progress. "Our greatest asset is in the north. The vast uncultivated land in the north is our future. We can make more money as a country from agriculture than we make from oil, and we must begin to do that immediately," he stated.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, asserted that agriculture could become Nigeria's leading source of revenue, surpassing crude oil. He called for immediate and significant investments in the agricultural sector to fully realize its potential.

Furthermore, Obi expressed his readiness to collaborate with prominent northern political figures, including Nasir el-Rufai and Rabiu Kwankwaso, to foster development across the region. "I will work with them, but I can tell you that nobody can build what I intend to build in the north," he commented.

Addressing the issue of insecurity, Obi attributed the persistent challenges in the North to poverty, inadequate governance, and prolonged neglect. He argued that lasting peace can only be achieved through strategic investments in vital sectors.

"If we want to secure the north today, we need to start investing in critical areas of agriculture, pull people out of poverty, and invest in education and health. That is what we must do," Obi explained.

He further contended that the current security crises are the cumulative consequence of successive leadership failures, including the deterioration of governance structures and societal ethics. "Insecurity we see today is caused by erosion of governance, erosion of values, and abandoning the youths. It is the cumulative effect of leadership failure over the years," Obi remarked.

Advocating for a more assertive strategy, Obi stressed that Nigeria needs to adopt a firmer approach in combating insecurity.