Nigerian presidential hopeful Obi promises anti-corruption drive

Oil-rich Nigeria can tackle its cost-of-living crisis in part by fighting government waste, presidential candidate Peter Obi told AFP, as politicians jostle to lead Africa's most populous country.- Violence, poverty linked - Though the security at the hotel his team had gathered in was typical for the Nigerian capital, it offered a reminder of the country's myriad conflicts -- guards sweeping cars before clearing them for entry, courtyard walls topped with an electric fencing, metal detectors in the lobby.

The country is facing both a long economic slide -- 63 percent of Nigerians live below the poverty line, according to the IMF -- and myriad security threats, from jihadists, gangs, separatists, and farmers and herders clashing over land.