The Youth Are Unemployed, They Deserve To Be Given Listening Ears, Says Obasajo

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has issued a stern warning about the current state of Nigeria, describing it as akin to “sitting on a keg of gunpowder” that could explode at any moment.

Obasanjo made this remark while addressing six members of the House of Representatives who visited him at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The lawmakers, led by Ugochinyere Ikenga, a former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Downstream Petroleum, were co-sponsors of a bill advocating a single six-year term for the presidency with rotation between the North and South.

Obasanjo expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s progress, saying, “Nigeria is a nation where we take two steps forward, one step aside and four steps backward.

“So, we are sitting on a keg of gunpowder that could explode anytime if we fail to take courageous and decisive steps to address the multivarious challenges facing the country.”

He lamented that successive governments had failed to build on the foundation laid during his tenure, stating, “How I wish that the succeeding governments are building on the foundation we laid even if not so fast as one would have wanted it. But sadly, the blocks we put there are even being removed.”

Obasanjo also highlighted the frustrations of the Nigerian youth, who he described saying, “They are frustrated, they are hungry, they are angry, they are unemployed, they deserve to be given listening ears.”

“For instance, what the youth are demanding is very legitimate and should be listened to or why should they be denied what rightfully belongs to them?”

Obasanjo emphasized the need for a fundamental change in the way Nigerians approach governance and national issues, rather than just altering the political system.

He urged for a “decarbonization” of minds, stating, “More than anything else such as changing our system of government, moving to a single term of six or four years, we must change our ways of doing things in this country. We must decarbonize our brains; we must change our mentality and characters.”

He stressed that the key to Nigeria’s success lies in effective leadership and a competent team, saying, “What I know about Nigeria is that yes, if we get it right – the leadership and the team because one tree does not make a forest – you need a good leader but you also need a good team for a well-done job.”

Obasanjo warned that without significant changes, the country would continue to regress: “But what we have always done is to take one step forward, two steps aside and four steps backward, and it is why we are where we are in the country.”

The former president also criticized the current political system, suggesting that African democracies need to rethink the concept of opposition.

He remarked, “For me, it is not so much about the system but we may need to rethink the liberal democracy where we talk of loyal opposition. What we do in Africa is that we sit down and get a consensus and after we have done that, there is no opposition. Everyone is on the same page and we move together.”

Regarding the ongoing discussions about a single six-year term for the presidency, Obasanjo argued that the problem is not the length of the term but the mindset of those in power. He noted, “Look, if you give him a single term of six years, he can go ahead and still do the evil he would have done in a case of two terms of four years. The only difference is that he would have done that within the period of six years and not four years.”

Obasanjo called for a transformation in the character of those in government, saying, “Our main problem is ourselves and until we take care of ourselves, if we like let us adopt a single term of six years, one term of four years among others with the same mentality and same way of doing things, nothing will change.”

He added that many current government officials should be held accountable for their actions: “With all due respect, most of those in government should right now be behind bars or in gallows.”

The former president warned that without significant changes across all branches of government, as well as in the civil service and private sector, Nigeria risks collapsing: “Otherwise, we all sink in the same boat called Nigeria.”

He reiterated his warning about the looming danger, stating, “As I have warned earlier, we should know that we are all sitting on a keg of gunpowder if we fail to begin to do the right thing.”

On the issue of corruption, Obasanjo pointed to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) as a major obstacle to the country’s progress, revealing that Shell Company had declined his government’s offer to manage Nigeria’s refineries due to “unimaginable corruption.”