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Nigeria Volatile, Filled With Suffering – Obasanjo Laments

Published

1 year ago

June 2, 2024

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said on Saturday that Nigeria was becoming more volatile, uncertain and complex.

He added that insecurity had made the country a dangerous place, filled with so much suffering and hunger.

For him, the leadership has to wake up to its responsibilities in other to create a better world for all Nigerians.

He said these in Lagos at the Africa Methodist Council Heads of Conference Summit and Women’s Movement Leadership Summit, where he was the Chairman of the public lecture.

The lecture’s topic, presented by the General Secretary, World Methodist Council, Bishop Ivan Abrahams, was, ‘Leadership in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous World’.

Obasanjo, giving his opening remarks asked that Nigerian leaders must re-evaluate the world.

“How do we re-evaluate the world? That is what I believe we have to do in our re-evaluating the world. What do we do? Jesus Christ himself told us that in this world, we would have trouble.

“I will give you two points. Wake up! We need a new generation of leaders; moral leaders, transformational leaders, and servant leaders.

“This new generation of leaders will lead by showing love and leading the re-evaluation and transformation,” he said.

Speaking further, he said, “Nigeria as it is now is volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous and dangerous.

“We have resources in Africa; we have 70 per cent of the world’s copper. Japan has no mineral resources. Singapore is even worse. No resources!

“But, whatever resources we have, if we are devoid of leadership, it won’t get us anywhere. That is why leadership in Africa is very important.

“We can’t create an Africa of hope, prosperity, devoid of oppression and one of security, peace and where leaders have vision, knowledge and understanding this way.”

He also noted that the late South African freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela, and Preacher, Desmond Tutu, advised him to contest the presidency for the second time.

He said, “When I came out of prison, and there was pressure mounting on me to take the mantle of leadership in Nigeria, the only place I went outside Nigeria was South Africa. I went to seek advice from Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

“Nelson said, ‘Olu, whatever your instinct tells you, do it.’ Tutu said, ‘If your people want you to serve, serve and stop making excuses’.

“I came back home and decided to make myself available and contest for the presidency of Nigeria.

“I found out that the years I spent in prison were advantageous to me in serving as president when I was elected.

“We can get good out of bad. That also happened to Nelson Mandela.

“When we get good leaders, let’s make maximum use of them because good leaders don’t flog. When you get one in a generation, make good use of them. Let’s learn the right lesson from them.

“We cannot make the world less volatile, simple or unambiguous unless we have the right type of leaders. We are talking about leaders that take examples of Jesus Christ and become like him.”

Responding to a question during the question and answer session, Obasanjo said the removal of History from the nation’s educational curriculum was a huge disaster.

He said, “I don’t know where we got the idea that we shouldn’t teach history in our school. It is a stupid idea.

“It is like losing one’s memory. It will be a disaster. I don’t know where we got it from. Some people feel there is an aspect of the history we don’t want to hear.

“There are always the bad and the good even in your own life. As you may know, I am a proprietor of a school, and in my school, we must teach History, and it must be taught the right way. You can then decide to take whatever you want to take out of it.

“There is no race in the world that has suffered like the black race, through slavery, slave trade and colonialism.

“In America, some people are now teaching that the slave trade was not a true story – that the white and the black went to the Caribbean in search of greener pastures.

“We were shipped there as slaves. If we allow that to go, we will be enslaved again, and we must not allow that to go.

“I have given myself the task of working with some people to keep the slave trade alive in our history. We must not allow anyone to say the slave trade is not a true story and we must keep it on the front burner.”

Speaking further, the former President said finding crude oil in Nigeria was the beginning of the country’s misfortune.

He said, “One of the things that was a little bit of misfortune in Nigeria is crude oil. We were drinking and sleeping oil, and it was a misfortune for us. It made us to abandon agriculture. Oil is a waste asset. Agriculture is renewable. We have to go back to it.

“We have to give something to our youths who are becoming restive, frustrated and dangerous.

“If we are going to curb that, it is giving them education, skills, empowerment and employment. If we don’t, they will soon come to attack us in our homes in the daytime, and it is a matter of time.

“Even food, we don’t produce enough. We spend over $20bn to import food. 60 per cent of arable land is not cultivated. The one cultivated is not used to maximum capacity. We need leaders who will lead us to the promised land.”

Advising up-and-coming politicians, he said it was a pity most politicians took politics as a profession without any backup plan.

He said, “Politicians are a different kettle of fish. They have to be in the world and be to some extent of the world.

“You must not be a professional politician. Politics is one profession you go into without any training. You can wake up today and say you are a politician.

“If you are going to be a successful politician you must have an alternative to being a politician, another means of livelihood

“When I was President, because I had to listen to my party and they wanted to push me in the way I should not go, I always told them, ‘Look! My farm is there. Take your job. I go back to my farm.’

“Some politicians have no second address. That is a great pity. A politician who has no second address will stand for anything. He has no principle, morality, dos and don’ts.”

News

Ovia South West Council Chairman, Edobor Bags National Merit Award

Published

4 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Editor

The Acting Chairman of Ovia South West Local Government Council in Edo State, Hon. Charles Nosakhare Edobor, has bagged the 2025 Nigerian Local Government Merit Award (LOGMA).

He was awarded as the Best Performing Local Government Chairman in Nigeria (Security and infrastructure development, purposeful leadership).

Speaking after being conferred with the prestigious award, Edobor applauded the organizers for recognizing his administration’s commitment to localizing good governance.

He highlighted his leadership’s remarkable strides in building a sustainable, livable, and prosperous council area through numerous people-oriented programmes and projects-particularly in road infrastructure and the provision of basic social amenities.

Edobor dedicated the award to the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and to the good people of Ovia south west Local Government Area.

He expressed satisfaction with the honour. He emphasized that the award would further spur him to work harder in pursuing people-centred programmes aligned with Senator Monday Okpebholo’s S.H.I.N.E and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Edobor commended Governor Okpebholo for his visionary leadership and unwavering support for local government administrations across the state.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to deepening rural development, empowering youth and women, and ensuring the dividends of democracy reach every ward in Ovia south west local government.

Earlier, in his welcome address at the event which held on Wednesday at the National Merit House, Abuja, the National Coordinator of LOGMA, Chief Bayode Ojo, stated that the award was designed to showcase the achievements of local government chairmen and reward excellence in grassroots governance – particularly those who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to promoting grassroots development despite the challenges confronting the third tier of government.

He congratulated all the awardees for making the final list after rigorous scrutiny and spot-checking of some of their executed projects to verify the authenticity of their claims.

Chief Ojo further urged the awardees to continue to be shining examples of sustainable growth at the grassroots and in the country at large.

News

JUST IN: Tinubu Sacks CDS Musa, Names New Army Boss

Published

4 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has made changes in the hierarchy of the Service Chiefs in furtherance of the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria to strengthen the national security architecture.

The President appointed General Olufemi Oluyede to replace General Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff.

More to follow…

News

Lagos Inaugurates 24-hour Traffic Management Operations

Published

22 hours ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has launched two transformative initiatives designed to recalibrate traffic governance and restore environmental sanctity across the metropolis.

In a visionary bid to guarantee seamless mobility and safe commuting at all hours, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has formally instituted a 24-hour operational framework for traffic management and enforcement across Lagos State.

The groundbreaking initiative, officially commissioned by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, constitutes a seminal moment in the evolution of Lagos’s transportation governance.

It manifests Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s strategic ambition to ensure the uninterrupted movement of people, goods and services within Nigeria’s economic epicentre—a city that operates continuously, unhindered by congestion or disorder.

According to Giwa, the 24-hour operational regime epitomises the administration’s steadfast dedication to constant vigilance, operational efficiency and disciplined traffic regulation, especially as the metropolis approaches the festive period, traditionally characterised by heightened vehicular and commercial activity.

This information was contained in a statement yesterday by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq.

He elaborated that the framework is meticulously designed to facilitate continuous monitoring, rapid emergency response and immediate clearance of traffic obstructions irrespective of time, thereby mitigating congestion and enhancing the commuter experience.

“This initiative exemplifies the Lagos State Government’s resolute commitment to safeguarding mobility, preserving lives and sustaining economic productivity through perpetual traffic oversight,” Giwa stated.

A pivotal component of the initiative is the establishment of the Night Rapid Response Gang, a specialised unit within LASTMA charged with swiftly addressing nocturnal traffic incidents, including vehicular breakdowns, collisions and other obstructions along critical arteries of the metropolis.

In tandem with these traffic management reforms, the Lagos State Government also executed a comprehensive clearance operation along Apapa Road, Costain and the Ijora Under Bridge, eliminating illegal structures, shanties and unregulated trading that had long obstructed free vehicular flow and compromised public safety.

The far-reaching enforcement exercise, spearheaded by Sola Giwa in coordination with LASTMA, the Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police (MOPOL), the Lagos State Task Force and the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), culminated in the removal of unauthorised traders, makeshift structures and multiple environmental infractions.

During the operation, enforcement teams uncovered an illegal diesel dumping site and impounded substantial quantities of expired plantain chips and cheese balls, stored under unsanitary conditions—a testament to the government’s prioritisation of public health and environmental integrity.

The exercise followed persistent warnings and public sensitisation campaigns urging illegal occupants under bridges to vacate. Teams also identified blocked drainage channels choked with metallic debris, contributing to perennial flooding and environmental degradation.

Furthermore, several commercial buses and tricycles operating unlawfully along the newly constructed Costain Bridge and Apapa Road were impounded.

Shanties adjacent to St. Catholic Church School, Apapa Road, were demolished, reinstating the area to its intended urban and educational purpose, while criminal hideouts beneath the Ijora Bridge were dismantled to enhance public security.

Giwa reaffirmed that the Sanwo-Olu administration will not compromise on public safety, environmental protection or the rule of law, stressing that Lagos must remain a city distinguished by structure, order and discipline.

General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, appealed to traders, transport operators and commuters to comply with government directives, utilise designated markets and parking facilities, and actively support the administration’s efforts to maintain a safe, efficient and orderly metropolis.

He emphasised that the integration of 24-hour traffic management with environmental enforcement represents the Lagos State Government’s holistic approach to sustainable urban mobility—one that blends innovative regulation, proactive enforcement and civic responsibility.