Labour Party's 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has advocated for increased investment in northern Nigeria as a sustainable solution to the region's persistent insecurity challenges.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Political Consultative Group (North) in Abuja on Sunday, Obi emphasized the North's untapped potential in transforming Nigeria's economy, particularly through agricultural development.

"I've always said the North can change Nigeria," Obi declared. "The greatest asset of this country is the North. We can make more money from agriculture than we make from oil."

The former Anambra State governor linked the high poverty rates across northern states to years of underinvestment and policy neglect, arguing that these conditions have created fertile ground for insecurity to flourish.

"When you have poverty, you have humanity that you cannot control because when people don't know where the next meal will come from, you can never control their actions," he explained. "And they easily recruit," he added, referring to how extremist groups and bandits prey on impoverished communities.

Obi highlighted the need for a two-pronged approach focusing on education and agricultural reform to pull people out of poverty and consequently reduce insecurity. "The more you pull people out of poverty, the more you solve insecurity. We need to invest in education," he stated.

Drawing attention to the plight of out-of-school children, particularly the Almajiri population in the North, Obi called for innovative and inclusive education models. "I've taken time to go to the North and sat down with the Almajiri children; they are the most brilliant people God created. If they can't go to school, take the school to them," he suggested.

Using comparative data to illustrate Nigeria's agricultural underperformance, Obi noted: "This entire country produces less than six million tonnes of rice; that is less than 10 percent of what Bangladesh produces. Bangladesh is a country that lives on 148,600 square kilometres of land — that's the size of just two northern states: Niger and Borno combined."

The Labour Party leader expressed optimism that with the right policies, political will, and investment in human capital, Nigeria's northern region could overcome its challenges and lead the continent in development.

Obi's comments come amid escalating security concerns across northern Nigeria, where banditry, kidnapping, and insurgency continue to disrupt economic activities and threaten livelihoods.