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Nigeria has no business with poverty but for bad leaders – Obasanjo
No Nigeria ought to be groping around to find what to eat or go to bed hungry, giving the massive endowments God deposited in the land of Nigeria, but for bad leadership which the country has continued to suffer over the years, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said.
Obasanjo, Nigeria’s longest serving leader – three years of military Head of State and eight years as President – made the declaration on Sunday, nobody should be blamed outside the people themselves for the parlous situation in the country, because God never created the country for the “basket case” it had turned out.
At the 40th-anniversary celebration of the Methodist Church Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday, Obasanjo, told his audience, which included prominent Nigerians from all works of life, who had gathered to promote unity and prosperity, how Abuja was developed with the unity of the country in mind.
His words: “I believe God has not created Nigeria to be a basket case. No, God has given us all that we need. I tell the joke about God creating Africa, and when He got to Nigeria, He put two rivers, the Benue and the Niger. There aren’t many countries where God did that. He enriched the soil with oil, tin, and other minerals, and along the coast, He placed beautiful beaches and plenty of fish. Then, Archangel Michael said to God, ‘You’re doing too much here,’ and God laughed and replied, ‘Don’t worry! You will see the people of this country. They will mess it all up.’ So, what God has given us, we have messed up. It’s not God’s fault.
“When we were planning Abuja, we invited a Japanese group to develop the master plan. They advised that Abuja should be limited to a population of three million, which we accepted. After their presentation, I was worried it seemed too artificial. I told the leader of the Japanese group that I didn’t want a city where I couldn’t buy suya and boli. After explaining these to him, he assured me that they would be incorporated. Today, Abuja has a population of almost five million, exceeding the three million limit, and I can still buy suya and boli.
“Abuja itself will celebrate its 50th anniversary in two years, and we will all be there. I pray that your church will continue to grow from strength to strength and that God, who made you the first church in Nigeria, will continue to place you at the forefront of Christianity and the spread of the Gospel.”
At the event which hosted other former Nigerian leaders, including Yakubu Gowon, Abdulsalami Abubakar, both former military Heads of State as well as Goodluck Jonathan, former President, President Tinubu, represented by Minister Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), praised the contribution of the Church especially in education, social justice, and community outreach.
Urging it to remain steadfast in its commitment to prayer and service, the President, said: “The church’s initiatives in education have empowered generations, equipping our youth with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in an ever-changing world. It has been instrumental in promoting peace and unity in our nation, with messages of love, reconciliation, and understanding fostering dialogue among diverse communities. Your leadership is crucial, especially in challenging times, as we face multifaceted difficulties.
“The government recognizes the importance of collaboration with faith-based organizations to address these issues. Together, we can mobilise resources, provide essential services, and advocate for the voiceless. The church can offer moral leadership and ethical governance. I urge you to remain steadfast in your commitment to prayer, not just for your communities but for Nigeria and its leaders.”
Oliver Ali Aba, Methodist Prelate, who encouraged Nigerians to persevere and work together, noted that the country’s challenges required a united front, adding that the country, held a significant place on the world map due to its large population.
He said: “God holds this nation close to His heart, which is why He has blessed us with human potential and abundant natural resources. We have no reason to complain. Nigeria, as a nation, is like a baby learning to crawl. A child struggles to grow, standing and falling until their bones and systems are strong and aligned. When we join hands and pray for one another, understanding our shared goals, Nigeria will rise to greatness. Our country holds a significant place on the world map due to our large population. Nations around the globe believe in us, yet we often undermine ourselves in small ways. However, in the near future, God will guide us, and things will begin to improve. We must all contribute; we must work together to ensure that Nigeria is built properly for future generations.”
Nigeria would not be in the sort of socio-political and economic mess it is currently facing but for the cowardice of the present crop of governors, Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers state, said on Tuesday, saying the country needed courageous leadership at the state levels to confront the ugly situation.
As chairman at the public presentation of Sule Lamido’s autobiography titled: Being True To Myself, written by Sule Lamido, former Governor of Jigawa State, Amaechi, who later became a two-time Minister of Transportation under President Muhammadu Buhari, bewailed the parlous political situation where governors could no longer speak for the people.
Stressing the timidity of his successors, the former governor, who was apparently miffed at the rate at which opposition governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were defecting to the ruling APC, in spite the parlous economic situation in the country, he said such a crisis would never have been allowed during his own time.
Amaechi, who was chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) during Lamido’s second term, but eventually defected to the APC to lead the campaign for the election of Buhari, told his audience: “I asked you (Lamido) this morning, what is going on currently in the country, in Nigerian politics — would it have happened when we were governors?
“You said no. And the answer is no. We would confront the government, confront the President. That’s how radical we were, that’s how our governors forum operated, that’s how determined we were to change things.”
Dwelling on his relationship with the ex-Jigawa governor, who was in office between 2007 and 2015, Amaechi said their working relationship was strong, despite occasional disagreements — including Lamido’s initial objection to his election as NGF chairman.
“We were quite good friends in government. We had our bad times when we disagreed. I made the mistake of assuming he was as radical as I was. So, he was one of the governors I clung to when it came to radical decisions. The last one before we broke ranks was when we all agreed to go against President Jonathan. We formed a committee of governors and others.
“At the end of the day, he went to find a new party, the SDP. We said, ‘If we go to the SDP, we will lose the election. Let’s hang on to this one called the APC.’ He disagreed and left us. That’s where we parted ways. You must never forget the battles we fought.”
“There is no question that there are huge challenges. But if you look at the balance sheet that this President inherited — massive liabilities arising from the very reckless misuse of ways and means — you’d understand why these steps were necessary.”
These were the exact words of Adams Oshiomhole, Senator, representing Edo North at the National Assembly on the state of the Nigerian economy, expressing confidence that the way the President was going, it would not be long before the parlous situation would experience a marked improvement.
Oshiohmole, former Governor of Edo State and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who was a guest of Politics Today, a public affairs progromme on Channels Television, said on Tuesday, Nigerians were justified to feel unhappy over the rising cost of living and the closure of businesses since the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023, but urged them to be patient and maintain trust in the reforms.
He added: “It’s a work in progress. The surgeon has gone to carry out the surgery. He understands that there is a level of pain — there has to be pain. But the good news is that the patient is healing. Maybe he could heal faster, but there can be no question that the patient is healing.”
Stressing on the issue of the exchange rate unification as a painful but critical decision to align supply with demand, he warned that failure to do so could have plunged the country into a Zimbabwe-like economic collapse, adding: “The consequential increase in cost of living was predictable. But if that was not done, Nigeria was on its way to Zimbabwe.
“President Tinubu deliberately chose to make all the difficult but necessary decisions in his first term to pave the way for long-term recovery. He took the right decision by insisting that in the first term, he would take all the tough decisions — prayerfully — so that as we move on, the situation improves.
“There is no magic to governance. I don’t think any Nigerian who understands the macroeconomic environment that was inherited by this government would expect that, in 24 months, everything would be fixed. Truly, this economy was badly mismanaged. This is not to blame anyone, but to speak to fact. I can say the worst is over, and we are going to begin to witness improvements in standard of living.
“As a governor, it took me time to have a holistic view of the challenges I inherited and to decide, in terms of priority, what to do first. As a Nigerian, I live in the community and among the people. I can say that there is a level of hardship, but things are improving.”
“Given where we are today in the economy, Tinubu will still win the presidential election. The President eliminated an exploitative foreign exchange regime that previously benefited only a privileged few. Tinubu abolished the ‘benefit of exchange rate’ transfer to bureau de change. Today, what he gets in exchange rate is what I get. Eliminating that free rate — which was available to a few people connected with the CBN management — took courage.”
Senate on Wednesday brushed aside the objections of Abdul Ningi, Senator representing Bauchi South at the National Assembly to commence acerated hearing on a whopping ₦1.783 trillion statutory appropriation bill for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The bill for the appropriation of the amount, came through President Bola Tinubu to the Senate in charge of making laws for the FCT, urging them to approve the proposal for the 2025 financial year.
Shortly after reading the letter transmitting the proposal, the upper chamber on Wednesday, harkened to the request of the President to give the bill expedited consideration, noting that its passage was critical to ensuring an effective and service-oriented administration for residents of the FCT.
But an attempt by the Bauchi Senator, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to halt debates on it pending when the members were abreast of the details was ignored as the Senate invoked Order 78 to allow the bill to scale second reading the same day it was introduced.
Palpably dissatisfied, Ningi, who was once suspended for questioning the financial integrity of the Senate, had raised concerns about the procedure under Order 77 (3 and 4), pointing out that lawmakers had not been provided with copies of the bill prior to the debate.
Leading the debate on the bill, after the objections were brushed aside, Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Leader, explained that the proposed legislation seeks to authorise the issuance of ₦1,783,823,708,392.00 trillion from the FCT Administration’s Statutory Revenue Fund to finance personnel, overhead, and capital expenditures between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
The budget breakdown includes N150.35 billion for personnel costs, N343.78 billion for overhead, and N1.29 trillion allocated for capital projects.
Bamidele underscored that the primary objective of the budget was to drive an effective and enduring service-oriented administration, with a strong focus on completing ongoing projects that have significant impacts on infrastructure and essential services in Abuja.
He noted that the budget prioritises the continuation of existing projects in the FCT, with the introduction of new ones deemed crucial.
It was on the same day that the Senate also confirmed the appointment of five Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) submitted by the President in March for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The confirmation, which followed the receipt and consideration of a report by Simon Lalong, Chairman of Senate Committee on Electoral Matters during plenary on Wednesday, who urged members to confirm the nominees having passed the screening exercise.
The approved RECs are Umar Yusuf Garba (Kano State), Sa’ad Umar Idris (Bauchi State), Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziako (Anambra State), Umar Mukhtar (Borno State) and Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem (Bayelsa State).
Tinubu having his way because today’s governors are cowards – Amaechi
Tinubu almost clearing Buhari’s economic mess – Oshomhole
Wike to get N1.78trillion as 2025 budget *Senate ignores Ningi’s objection
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