Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has unveiled a plan to tackle youth unemployment by encouraging young Nigerians to return to farming and small-scale businesses if elected president in 2027.
Obi made the pledge on Saturday at an NDC town hall meeting in Kaduna, where he and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, outlined their proposed approach to job creation and economic development.
The former Anambra State governor said his administration would prioritise production and investment rather than borrowing to fund consumption.
“If you elect us to serve, we will only borrow money for investment,” Obi said.
“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.”
Obi said Nigeria could draw lessons from countries such as Indonesia, which he argued had done better at creating employment opportunities for its large youth population.
He said his administration would provide support for young Nigerians to engage in agriculture and small businesses while also addressing drug abuse among youths.
“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,” he said.
Obi also proposed tougher punishment for people involved in importing illicit drugs, saying anyone convicted of such offences would face life imprisonment under his administration.
“Nigeria does not have adequate laws for those who are importing drugs,” he said.
“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. We cannot take it.”
He described drug abuse as a major challenge facing Nigerian youths and linked the problem partly to unemployment.
Obi cited a drug-use prevalence figure of about 14 per cent for Nigeria, compared with a global figure of about five per cent. Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, however, puts the 2018 past-year prevalence of any drug use among people aged 15 to 64 at 14.4 per cent.
The NDC candidate said creating productive opportunities for young Nigerians would therefore be central to his proposed economic agenda.
His Kaduna appearance was part of the party’s grassroots engagement ahead of the 2027 general election.
