Many Nigerian Youths Have Turned To Kidnappers, Terrorists – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that many Nigerian youths have become cultists, kidnappers and terrorists due to unemployment in the country.

The former president made the submission on Friday while speaking at the Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe symposium in Lagos.

OBJ as he fondly called advised the federal government to immediately address the unemployment situation in the country and the growing population before it leads to more disaster.

He disclosed that the inability of the government to solve the unemployment rate and the inability to manage the country’s population has led to unemployed youths joining criminal organisations.

Obasanjo, however, revealed that political will and action can turn the country’s growing population into an asset.

He said: “First cluster of questions are: How are we going to feed this growing population? How are we going to house them, educate them — provided we have security and other variants of security?

“The second cluster of questions are: How do we keep this large keg of a large army of unemployed youths from exploding? How do we keep them from enlisting in violent groups and gangs of kidnappers?

“A not-well managed cluster of the population is frightening.

“There appears to be a solution. Political will and political action can make the population an asset. This is the master key. The key has the will and the action. It is not enough to shout political will in mere political rhetoric.”