The Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general elections, Mr Peter Obi has blamed the nation’s security challenges on the poor economy.
Obi, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, faulted the Federal Government for its policies that have contributed to the state of the economy.
“Apart from the armed bandits which we all know are killing everybody everywhere, we have also the upsurge in all forms of criminalities whether it is kidnapping, robbery, all sorts of crimes are on the increase.
“And that also is what you need to deal with. How do you tackle it? Economy. If you have 98 million people, the consequence is that maybe there are several million who do not know where the next meal will come from,” he said.
Speaker further, Obi said Nigeria has the highest number of poor people in the world, more than China and India.
He also decried the unemployment situation in the country, stressing that the gradual collapse of the economy is to be blamed.
Reacting to the calls for the sack of the nation’s service chiefs, Obi believes doing so will not solve the numerous security threats the country grapple with.
“If I look at people saying the Inspector General of Police should go, I have seen several IGP and I have worked with them.
“This particular one, I have not met him but I can tell you that he has conducted himself in what I call a decent manner, especially in the way he speaks,” he said.
Obi’s comments follow that of a lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Ali Ndume who decried the situation in the Northeast saying it is getting worse by the day.
Ndume had while speaking on Sunday Politics, regretted that the resurgence of the Boko Haram /Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) keeps increasing.
