Nigeria Has Failed Africa, Says Former President Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed concerns about the current state of Nigeria and its impact on the African continent and the world at large.

Obasanjo said this in Abuja while giving the keynote address at the public presentation of the book titled, “Reclaiming the Jewel of Africa,” written by former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, who also served as Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga.

Obasanjo said, “Over the last 63 years, we have not met expectations. We have disappointed ourselves; we have disappointed Africa; we have disappointed the black race; and we have disappointed the world.”

He added that “what Segun (Aganga) has tried to identify, itemise and recommend in his book is the way forward.

“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.”

Obasanjo identified two of the significant interrelated issues in terms of all-round development factors.

“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,” Obasanjo said.