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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.”
Fuel marketers across Abuja on Wednesday continued to sell Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, at old prices more than 24 hours after Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced a reduction in its ex-depot price, Vanguard is reporting.
The paper reported that its investigation, showed that major retail outlets were yet to adjust their pump prices despite the N75 per litre reduction announced by the refinery on Monday.
At the retail stations visited in Abuja, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Retail and TotalEnergies dispensed petrol at N1,335 per litre, while AA Rano sold at N1,350 per litre. AYM Shafa and Conoil outlets sold the product at N1,330 per litre.
The development comes amid growing public expectations that the reduction in Dangote Refinery’s gantry price would quickly translate into lower pump prices nationwide.
Explaining the delay, the President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, said retail prices are influenced by several factors beyond refinery gate prices.
Speaking to Channels TV, Gillis-Harry said: “Prices reflecting at the pump are dependent on availability of the product, the other is the cost. The cost of purchasing the product and cost in terms of logistics, and preparing the particular petroleum to be delivered to the people”.
According to him, downward price adjustments often take longer to reach consumers because marketers need to recover the cost of existing stock purchased at higher prices before restocking at lower rates.
When asked why increases in fuel prices are usually reflected immediately while reductions are delayed, Gillis-Harry said the dynamics of supply management play a significant role.
He explained: “It is mainly affected by whether the producer has additional resources or not at the time. Increases in prices are mainly caused by the need to restock. There must be that advantage pushing the price upward to be able to pay for new supplies.”
He further acknowledged that marketers generally seek to exhaust existing inventory before implementing lower prices.
“That’s the basic idea. But in petroleum, a mixture is involved, and loss is taken, though not in a way that affects the capital needed to restock,” he added.
Also speaking on the issue, energy analyst Olabode Sowunmi said fuel pricing in Nigeria is influenced by a combination of domestic supply arrangements and logistics costs, rather than crude oil prices alone.
He noted that although international crude oil prices remain an important factor globally, their impact on local petrol pricing is not always direct.
“Global price of crude oil is a factor internationally and not necessarily in Nigeria,” Sowunmi said.
Explaining that Dangote Refinery operates under arrangements that allow a portion of crude supply to be priced in naira, reducing the direct impact of international market fluctuations on local fuel prices, he said: “So basically the issue will have to be from the point of refinery to where it touches the final person. Logistics costs within the domestic supply chain remain a major determinant of the final pump price paid by consumers.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
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