A former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has identified poverty and hunger as main causes of agitations by ethnic groups in Nigeria.
Obi said this in Calabar during the 7th lecture organised by the Bridge Leadership Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by a former governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke.
The foundation was established in 2011 by Imoke to inculcate entrepreneurial skills in young citizens. The theme for the 2017 edition was ‘Made in Nigeria: Local production, global market.’
Obi, who spoke on the topic, ‘Leadership and Integrity,’ said that some of the agitations across the country had gone beyond control because Nigeria lacked visionary leaders.
He cited Boko Haram in the North-East, militancy in the Niger-Delta, the Independent People of Biafra in the South-East and farmers/herdsmen clash as some of the challenges facing the country today.
Obi said, “Nigeria has the resources and potentials of becoming the greatest country in the world; but, the country lacks visionary leaders.
“Today, we have different forms of agitations in Nigeria because the people are poor and hungry. The leaders have lost touch with the led.”
He commended Imoke for sustaining the foundation for seven years, adding that capacity building for youths was one of the ways of curbing youth unemployment in the country.
Earlier, Imoke said the objective of the foundation was to groom and encourage youths to take leadership role and have the basic knowledge of becoming entrepreneurs.
“The foundation provides a valuable platform for young people to be inspired by the success stories of youths in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, who are scaling the huddles and challenges of growing up.” he said.
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