The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has presented an agriculture-focused strategy aimed at reducing poverty and winning support in Northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Obi said that, if elected, his government would prioritise investment in agriculture, education, healthcare and skills development, while also working to restore industries across the region.
He made the remarks during an interview with Arise News on Thursday, while explaining why voters in Northern Nigeria should back his position against former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to reinstate fuel subsidies.
Obi dismissed the proposal, arguing that tackling poverty in the North required investment in the region’s economic opportunities rather than a return to fuel subsidy.
“If there’s one president the north will celebrate, it’s me,” Obi said.
“I know the problems in the Northern North. I will deal with the issue of poverty the way it’s not been there before.
“And in a non-corrupt way, where they will see it. The North has an asset. Nobody in this country, none of us in other area, can say they have.”
The former Anambra State governor pointed to agriculture as one of the North’s biggest economic advantages. He pledged to invest in the sector and provide support for disadvantaged Nigerians through education, healthcare and vocational training.
“I will deal with that asset. And that asset is agriculture. We’ll invest in it.**
“We’ll give the subsidy in it. We will ensure that it will take all those poor people, Nigerians, back to education. Support them in different areas.
“We will make sure we invest in health. In skills. Support them,” he said.
Obi also promised to restore manufacturing in Northern Nigeria, particularly in Kano, where he noted that several industrial facilities have stopped operating.
“I’ll make sure they are bringing all those manufacturing activities that we lost. Today, if you go to Kano, there are factories in Bompai, Sharada 1, Sharada 2 that are gone. I will deal with the North in such a way that they will see it,” he said.
He maintained that the rise in poverty across the North could not be attributed solely to the removal of fuel subsidy, insisting that other economic factors also needed to be addressed.
“And this fuel token will moderate the price all over Nigeria. It’s not only affecting only them. The poverty in the North was not worsened because of removal of subsidy.
“There’s other things,” Obi said.
Commenting on President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Obi criticised its performance in areas including literacy, transparency and government spending.
He described the administration’s spending as excessive and suggested that, in some instances, the President appeared to lack full control of the government.
“I think if you ask the people, but if you ask me, they’ve not done well. They’ve been a bit reckless in what they’re doing.
“At times I believe it’s not in charge,” he said.
