Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that Nigerians should not be living in poverty, considering the country’s wealth of natural and human resources.
Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Abia State Government in his honor at the Government House in Umuahia on Friday, Obasanjo expressed concern over the continued hardship faced by Nigerians due to poor resource management.
“Nigerians have no business with poverty because God has given us all that we need,” Obasanjo remarked. “If we are mismanaging what God has given us, we do not have God to blame, we have ourselves to blame.”
The former president also commended Governor Alex Otti of Abia State for his transformative leadership, highlighting the widespread public approval of his administration.
He urged Otti to continue his progress, stating that if at least 18 governors performed their duties effectively, the country’s fortunes would improve significantly.
Obasanjo emphasized the importance of good governance, stating that it was crucial for the Nigerian people to receive what they deserve.
“For me, whether you don’t greet me or I greet you and you don’t answer, what is important to me is that the people of this country are getting what they deserve, and what they deserve is good governance,” he said.
The former president also recounted a moment during the tenure of former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, when Amaechi was unaware of a national railway development plan, which had to be retrieved from the archives.
Governor Otti, in his remarks, expressed his gratitude for Obasanjo’s unwavering support.
He reflected on the challenges of his political journey, stating that it took him ten years to reach his current position, having won two elections in 2015 and 2019, both of which he claimed were marred by electoral fraud.
“Once you have vision, you have to keep to it. It took us ten years to get here. The two elections we contested from 2015 to 2019, we won clearly but they were all stolen.
“A lot of people had given up hope and said it wasn’t going to work, but I was sure that I heard clearly from God,” he said.
