Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s former president, has lamented the plight of the people and claimed that the country is sitting on a keg of gunpowder. The comments were made by Obasanjo during Friday’s leadership lecture by Dele Momodu.
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He maintained that Nigeria had no business being involved with extreme poverty if China could rescue 700 million people from poverty.
“Education is one of the tools we can use to banish poverty,” Obasanjo said, stressing that education is the key to ending hunger in Africa for good. Poverty is inevitable in places where education is lacking.
It is the responsibility of a nation’s leadership, says Obasanjo, to alleviate poverty and other forms of suffering. He emphasized the need for leaders whose personalities exhibit “communality” in all areas of life.
To eradicate poverty, strong leadership is essential. Leadership is essential in any human activity. We must make sure no child is ignorant if we want to do it right.
If the government of Nigeria is honest, disciplined, and effective, it can put an end to poverty and famine. Getting 700 million people out of poverty in China will pave the way for us to succeed.
Abject poverty is none of Nigeria’s business. Everyone is sitting on a potential explosive if they refuse to accept responsibility. The world will fail to acknowledge Africa as a serious continent unless we end poverty here,” he declared.