Economic Hardship Drives Youths To Rally Behind Obi-Mbaka

Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting

Catholic priest and founder of Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN), Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has said Nigerian youths are rallying behind Peter Obi because they desperately want a leader capable of rescuing the country from worsening hardship, economic uncertainty and mounting national challenges.

Speaking in a video recorded during one of his church programmes, Mbaka said the growing support for Obi among young Nigerians should not be condemned, stressing that their backing reflects a deep-seated desire for change and a leadership that can address their struggles.

The cleric maintained that Nigerian youths cannot be faulted for throwing their weight behind the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, given their search for a leader they believe can offer hope, restore confidence and steer the country away from its current difficulties.

“That’s why nobody should blame Nigerian youths when all of them started following Peter Obi because they are looking for whoever will save them,” he said.

The cleric described Nigerian youths as industrious, lamenting that their potential and the country’s abundant human and natural resources had not translated into better living conditions.

He argued that Nigeria’s problems had a spiritual dimension, saying: “Like what Nigeria is passing through now, Nigeria’s case is a spiritual one. We may not understand it.”

Mbaka described Nigeria as one of the world’s most blessed countries, particularly in human resources, saying it had “the best youths”, whose potential remained largely unrecognised.

He also decried widespread poverty and inadequate electricity supply despite the country’s vast mineral deposits, including gold and coal.

“Enugu is sitting upon a multi-trillion-dollar worth of coal, yet the indigenes of the city are all poor,” he said.

The priest criticised successive governments over policies and actions he said had worsened the plight of ordinary Nigerians, citing the demolition of shops and disputes over land.

He also linked insecurity, including kidnapping, to political factors, arguing that the youths’ support for Obi reflected their desire for better leadership and improved living conditions.