Obasanjo Urges Nigeria to Tackle Insecurity, Unemployment, Poverty

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged Nigerian leaders to tackle insecurity, unemployment, poverty and impunity, warning that the country's worsening conditions are pushing citizens to seek better opportunities abroad through dangerous migration routes.

Obasanjo made the call on Saturday during a panel session titled “Lest We Forget” at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend 2026, organised by the African Export-Import Bank in Lagos State.

Reflecting on Nigeria's security situation since independence, the former president said the country must address the governance failures responsible for declining public safety and limited economic opportunities.

He stressed the need to create jobs, reduce poverty, curb kidnapping and insecurity, and end impunity.

Obasanjo recalled returning to Nigeria in 1959 after completing his military training in Britain, saying he could travel freely across the country, including the northern region, without fear of attacks.

He contrasted that experience with the present security situation, questioning how the country had deteriorated to the point where citizens could no longer travel safely in several areas.

The former president identified unemployment, particularly among university graduates, as a major source of economic hardship, arguing that governments must create opportunities for young people instead of producing graduates without corresponding jobs.

He recounted an encounter with Nigerians arrested for drug-related offences, saying one of them had attributed his involvement in the illegal trade to losing his legitimate employment.

Obasanjo said the experience illustrated how economic desperation could push people towards criminal activities, although he did not excuse such conduct.

On irregular migration, he described the experiences of Africans who attempted to reach Europe through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea as distressing, noting that some died during the journeys.

He argued that improved governance and economic opportunities would reduce the pressure on citizens to undertake dangerous journeys in search of better living conditions.

The former president also attributed a substantial part of Africa's underdevelopment to failures of political leadership, insisting that leaders must improve their capacity to deliver for their people.

On continental integration, Obasanjo disclosed that he had discussed with Ghanaian President John Mahama a proposal to eliminate visa requirements among about 25 African countries.

He explained that the initiative could initially involve countries already operating visa-on-arrival arrangements, before expanding to other African nations.

He further advocated greater recognition of the African passport and urged governments across the continent to grant citizenship to people of African descent who wished to return to their ancestral homeland.

Obasanjo called for stronger unity among Africans and people of African descent worldwide, saying historical divisions should not prevent cooperation towards shared development.

The panel also featured former Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, and Jamaican scholar, Professor Paulette Ramsay.

Discussions centred on African identity, slavery, colonialism, reparations and the need to strengthen relations between the continent and its diaspora.

The speakers called for reparatory justice over the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism. Ramsay, author of Lest We Forget: Slavery, Slave Trade, Colonisation, Emancipation and Reparation, said reparations should go beyond financial compensation to include the return of stolen artefacts, protection of African cultural heritage and an end to the exploitation of the continent's natural resources.