Northern Nigeria Holds Key to National Transformation says Peter Obi

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has said Nigeria’s northern region holds the potential to transform the entire country. 

Speaking at a meeting of the National Political Consultative Group (North) in Abuja on Sunday, Obi described the north as the country’s “greatest asset” due to its vast agricultural capacity and untapped human capital.

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He blamed widespread poverty in the region on a lack of meaningful investment, warning that economic hardship creates fertile ground for insecurity. 

Obi also criticised the country’s underperformance in agriculture, noting that Nigeria produces less than six million tonnes of rice annually—under 10 percent of what Bangladesh produces on significantly smaller land. He called for more targeted investment in education, especially for out-of-school children, including the Almajiri.