Nigeria Is Living Dangerously On A Keg Of Gunpowder – Obasanjo

Ex Nigeria President, Olusegun Obasanjo has come out to blast Nigeria’s inability to live up to expectations since it got independence about 63 years ago.

He recently stressed that the country has not only disappointed itself, but also Africa and the world.

According to him, however, the start of making a new future for ourselves is to admit our failure once and for all, because we have clearly not always put the round peg in the round hole.

Obasanjo added that the nation is living dangerously on a keg of gunpowder, and more people are getting driven into poverty.

His words, “Over the last 63 years, we have not lived up to expectations. We have disappointed ourselves; we have disappointed Africa; we have disappointed the black race; and we have disappointed the world.”

“But the beginning of charting a new course for ourselves is to admit our failure because we have not always put the round peg in the round hole.”

“We are carried along by ego and emotion of self, selfishness and self-centeredness, ethnic and religious jingoism, with total lack of understanding of the world we live in and gross misunderstanding of what development entails and how to move fast and continuously on the trajectory of development.”

“These are peace and security, which we cannot achieve without justice, equity and inclusive society. And telling ourselves the truth, we have not done well on these scores in the recent past—in the last decade and a half.”

“I will also point at the issue of education, where over 20 million children that should be in school are not in school. We do not need an oracle to tell us the consequences of that for tomorrow.”

“We do not need to look far for the remote causes of banditry, Boko Haram, kidnapping and other organised crimes.”

“We are living dangerously on a keg of gunpowder, driving more people into poverty through good policies poorly and thoughtlessly implemented or bad policy and no policy at all.”