Obi: Fix Nigeria’s Economy, Insecurity and Nigerians Won’t Struggle for Visas Abroad

The National Democratic Congress NDC presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has said Nigerians will no longer struggle to obtain visas to foreign countries when Nigeria’s economy, security and other critical sectors are properly reformed.

Obi made the remarks yesterday while speaking at a town hall meeting in Rivers State, where he outlined his plans to tackle corruption, unemployment, poverty and insecurity if elected.

According to him, the treatment Nigerians receive from foreign countries is partly influenced by Nigeria’s domestic strength and the perception of how the country is functioning.

“The day they find out things are working here, you start going overseas with a visa. It’s simple,” Obi said.

He argued that wealthy and economically stable countries attract people and investment, while poor countries often face restrictions from other nations.

“Nobody opens his door for poor people. It’s simple. If you’re poor, even a big man here, nobody opens his door for a poor person because you come and cause him trouble,” he said.

Obi said Nigeria could reverse the situation by investing heavily in education, developing its young population and creating an environment where businesses can thrive.

He cited China and India as examples of countries that have transformed their economies and become more attractive to the international community.

The former Anambra State governor also pledged to tackle what he described as “too much corruption and waste” in government, saying Nigerians deserve to know how public funds are being spent.

On job creation, Obi said his administration would support small businesses, noting that millions of small enterprises in Nigeria are currently struggling.

“Today, we have about 40 million small businesses that are not doing well. Imagine if we can get half of them to be doing something and employ one person, that’s 20 million,” he said.

He further linked insecurity to poverty, saying efforts to combat crime must address both physical security and what he described as “human insecurity.”

“Insecurity in the north will be fought in two ways. Very simple. You have to do the human insecurity. There’s poverty in Nigeria. It’s difficult to fight insecurity when there’s poverty,” Obi said.

He argued that reducing poverty and creating economic opportunities would help reduce crime, particularly among young people who lack viable sources of livelihood.

“The more you pull people out of poverty, the more you reduce crime,” he added.

Obi also reaffirmed his commitment to Nigeria, stressing that he holds only a Nigerian passport and would return home even if the country were facing war.

“I’m a Nigerian. The only passport I have is a Nigerian passport,” he said, adding that his objective is to help build a country where Nigerians can prosper rather than constantly seeking opportunities abroad.