Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has asserted that Nigerians ought not to be living in poverty, given the country’s abundant natural and human resources.
Speaking at a dinner hosted in his honour by the Abia State Government on Friday at the Government House in Umuahia, Obasanjo stated that the nation is richly endowed but continues to suffer as a result of the mismanagement of its resources.
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 commended Governor Alex Otti of Abia State for his administration’s transformation efforts, highlighting the widespread public approval of his governance.
He lauded the governor’s impact on the state and encouraged him to maintain the current trajectory of progress.
Obasanjo reiterated that the country’s fortunes would be greatly improved if at least 18 governors were performing their duties effectively.
The former military Head of State also restated his enduring concern for the well-being of Nigerians and the quality of governance delivered by public officeholders.
“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 went on to recall a moment during the tenure of former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi when the latter was unaware of a pre-existing national railway development plan. Obasanjo said Amaechi had to be directed to the archives to retrieve the necessary documentation.
In his remarks, Governor Otti acknowledged the unwavering support he has received from the former president, describing vision and perseverance as indispensable to effective leadership.
He reflected on the arduous journey of his political career, marked by a decade of persistence 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.
