Buhari blames lack of employment prospects in rural areas for Nigeria’s insecurity

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday identified a lack of employment prospects and opportunities in most rural communities as a major cause of insecurity in the country.

The President, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, stated this when he received members of the Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said for decades, previous government policies have focused on urban development at the expense of rural areas.

President Buhari said: “In the last four years, we have worked hard to bridge some of these economic imbalances through our various agricultural and financial policies to attract employment opportunities to rural areas.

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“As we continue to expand our security operations to bring an end to these challenges, it is important to note that peace and prosperity can only be sustained if we collectively and actively support investments that take opportunities to our rural citizens.

“I therefore urge our governors, bankers, investors, and entrepreneurs to look beyond our cities when it comes to investments.

“As we have seen from Nigeria’s five-year fertiliser revolution, if investors are willing to endure the short term ‘start-up’ pains, they will surely benefit from long term sustainable and substantial gains.”

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