State of the Nation: Ex-President Obasanjo Charges Youths

Former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday urged the country’s youths not to accept the situation of the country the way it is, but to “make those who need to be made uncomfortable, uncomfortable.”

Obasanjo added that Nigerian youths must have to be positively disruptive, stressing that any leader who did not have the fear of God was a dangerous leader.

The former president who spoke in Abuja on Thursday when he participated in The Bridge Foundation’s Emerging Political Leaders Fellowship programme, urged Nigerian youths to believe in Nigeria and develop love for the country, pointing out that there was no alternative to their country.

He said that knowledge was very important, saying “accurate knowledge. You also need the fear of God and proximity to God. When you are a leader and you do not fear God, then you are a dangerous leader.

“Wherever you may choose, leadership is very important and the principles are basically the same. A good leader must have certain characteristics, knowledge is good, but not enough. How diligent are you? What is your level of integrity? What are the values that you cherish?”

According to him, the way forward for Nigeria was for the nation not to lose.

“Let us get it right and in two years we will forget everything. You have to get involved in everything. Advertisements “You are the leaders of today, if you don’t take it now, you will never get it. You have to be positively disruptive, don’t accept things the way they are. You need to make those who need to be made uncomfortable, uncomfortable”, Obasanjo said.

Calling for a national discourse on Nigeria’s democracy, the former President said, “What is Nigeria’s history in democracy? What is Nigeria’s value? What is our culture in democracy? Let us rethink the context and the content of our democracy. Let’s interrogate, let’s ask questions. If you don’t do it, who else will do it?

“Many people don’t believe in Nigeria. Don’t let us deceive ourselves.

“If you don’t believe in Nigeria, what do you want to talk about? You need to believe in Nigeria. Every country has a history of how they came about. We have to accept that Nigeria is ours; we love it, and we cherish it. We have no alternative.”