Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has emphasized that Nigerians should not be living in poverty, considering the country’s vast natural and human resources.
During a dinner held in his honour by the Abia State Government on Friday at the Government House in Umuahia, Obasanjo remarked that although the nation is abundantly blessed, it remains plagued by suffering due to poor resource management.
He said:
Nigerians have no business with poverty because God has given us all that we need.
If we are mismanaging what God has given us, we do not have God to blame, we have ourselves to blame.
The former president praised Abia State Governor Alex Otti for his administration’s transformative initiatives, noting the broad public support his leadership has garnered.
He commended the governor’s positive impact on the state and urged him to stay the course of progress.
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Obasanjo further emphasized that Nigeria’s overall condition would significantly improve if at least 18 governors were effectively fulfilling their responsibilities.
He also reaffirmed his longstanding commitment to the welfare of Nigerians and the standard of governance provided by those in public office.
“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.
He recounted an incident during the tenure of former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, who was initially unaware of an already established national railway development plan. Obasanjo noted that Amaechi had to consult the archives to locate the relevant documents.
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In his remarks, Governor Otti expressed gratitude for the consistent support he has received from the former president, emphasizing that vision and perseverance are essential qualities for successful leadership.
He also reflected on the challenging path of his political journey, which was shaped by ten years of determination and resilience.
“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.
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