Former Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi has urged the European Union to fundamentally rethink its engagement with Africa, arguing that the continent’s development, and Europe’s own interests are critically dependent on progress in Nigeria.
Addressing Members of the European Parliament in Brussels, Obi stated his mission was to “start a conversation” because the EU and Western nations often have “little knowledge about Nigeria and Africa in general” and rarely bring the continent into perspective in their decisions.
He positioned Africa as “the last frontier of global development,” highlighting its vast resources, uncultivated land, and young population, but lamented it remains “a continent of mass poverty.”
Using stark comparisons, Obi noted that Nigeria alone has over 50% of the EU’s population, yet its wealth per person is a fraction of Europe’s. “The nearest continent to Africa to Nigeria is Europe,” he argued. “If Africa today turns around, the biggest beneficiary would be Europe. If it collapses, the consequences will affect you more.”
Obi identified failed leadership as the core problem, calling for governance with “competence, capacity, compassion, commitment and character” to tackle corruption and invest in health and education.
He directly linked Nigeria’s security crises to underlying socio-economic failures, explaining that “mass poverty, and mass uneducated people, you have room for easy recruitment for all forms of criminality.”
His central plea was for a strategic partnership. He urged the EU to support Nigeria in creating a stable environment, framing it as a mutual necessity.
“To develop Africa, which will benefit you, you must start from Nigeria,” Obi concluded, asserting that turning around Africa requires turning around its most populous nation, which holds “all it takes to be a huge market that Europe can tap.”
Discussion about this post