Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigeria shouldn’t be
seen as a difficult country.
He said this on Monday while speaking with journalists after
a meeting with three governors elected on the platform of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) – Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, and Samuel
Ortom of Benue.
Obasanjo said Nigeria’s challenges require joint efforts,
adding that whoever desires to rule the country has to be someone of courage.
“I had ceased to be a partisan politician, I don’t belong to
any political party, but if politics is about the welfare of the people, I
cannot cease to be a politician, because I must always seek the welfare of the
people,” he said.
“And, of course, you all know what the situation of Nigeria
is and anybody who doesn’t know that is either not a Nigerian or is not being
truthful to himself or herself. As I often said, no one individual can say ‘yes
I can do it’, because the situation in Nigeria today, we need all hands, all
Nigerian hands on deck to restore Nigeria and that is what Governor Wike is
saying to me.
“Courage, he doesn’t lack it, and if you have courage and
you have conviction to speak your mind, well, we have a saying in this part of
the world that ‘a person, who speaks the truth all the time may not even get a
mat spread for him’, because you will incur the displeasure of people.
“Of course, we cannot get unity if there is no justice, if
there is no fairness, if there is no equity. And when you have the basic
ingredients that will bring unity and inclusiveness, then, all other things
will take their position. You will remove conflict, you will be able to deal
with this pernicious issue of insecurity and of course, the issue of economy
and the wholesomeness of the society.
“The issues he raised
are the issues that are dear to my own heart for unity and stability of
Nigeria. There is one thing that I believe in and I have always said it over
and over again; Nigeria is a complex country, but Nigeria is not a difficult
country. If we are sincere and fair to ourselves, it is not a difficult country
to manage and I wish him well.”
On his part, Wike said the visit was to consult with the
former president.
“We have come to consult our leader — to consult somebody
who has presided over the affairs of this country, not just as a president, but
also as a former military head of state,” he said.
“The kind of experience he had and the passion he has for
this country, coupled with his continuous preaching on unity and peace, is
something to be emulated.
“This country
requires somebody who has the courage; somebody who can take a firm decision
and somebody who wants to unite Nigerians and that is what we think that we
should do.”
Wike added that if elected as the president of Nigeria in
2023, he would unite Nigerians and also take the issue of security seriously.
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