Former Governor of Anambra State and Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, on Tuesday visited Strasbourg, France, where he held a series of high-level engagements at the European Parliament.

Obi met with members from several key committees, including the Committee on Foreign Affairs; the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs; the Africa-EU Delegation Committee; the Committee on Transport and Tourism; and the Committee on Development, among others.

During the meetings, he urged European lawmakers to deepen their partnership with Africa, particularly Nigeria, which he described as a “key frontier for global development.”

Obi highlighted Africa’s enormous potential — as the world’s second-largest continent in landmass and population, rich in natural resources and blessed with a young, energetic population — but lamented that it remains the “face of global poverty,” largely due to bad governance and corruption.

He appealed to the EU to support Nigeria by promoting good governance and strengthening democratic processes that enable the emergence of leaders with competence, capacity, and integrity.Obi also called for greater cooperation in addressing insecurity, improving power generation and distribution, boosting healthcare and education, and reducing poverty. He stressed that Nigeria’s progress would have direct benefits for Europe.

The former governor further emphasized the need for increased support for Nigerian youths, noting their strong entrepreneurial drive but limited opportunities.

“Africa, and indeed Nigeria, can and must work for all and contribute meaningfully to global development,” he said, reiterating his belief that “a new Nigeria is possible.”.