Former President Olusegun Obasanjo believes that political will and action are critical to turning the country’s population into a resource.
Obasanjo voiced concern about the country’s expanding population, particularly the unemployed youths while addressing at the Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe symposium in Lagos on Friday.
Many young people have joined violent groups and abduction gangs, according to the former president, because of unemployment and the country’s failure to control its population.
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“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?” he said.
“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 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.”
