Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has asserted that Nigeria is a nation richly endowed by God, possessing all the necessary resources to achieve widespread prosperity. He criticized the nation’s leadership, stating that mismanagement of these resources is the root cause of the country’s poverty.
“Nigerians have no business with poverty because God has given us all that we need,” Obasanjo declared during a dinner event in Abia State. “If we are mismanaging what God has given us, we do not have God to blame, we have ourselves to blame.”
Obasanjo praised Abia State Governor Alex Otti for his transformative leadership, highlighting the positive impact on the lives of Abia residents. He reiterated his commitment to promoting good governance for the benefit of all Nigerians.
“For me, whether you don’t greet me or I greet you and you don’t answer, what is important to me is that the people of this country are getting what they deserve and what they deserve is good governance,” he emphasized.
Governor Otti, in his address, shared his political journey, which began in 2015. He stressed the importance of vision and perseverance, noting that his path to governorship was marked by electoral victories that were initially overturned.
“Once you have vision, you have to keep to it. It took us ten years to get here, the two elections we contested from 2015 to 2019, we won clearly but they were all stolen. A lot of people had given up hope and said it wasn’t going to work, but I was sure that I heard clearly from God,” Otti recounted.
Also in attendance, former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, urged the people of Abia State to begin preparations for Governor Otti’s re-election in 2027. He warned against complacency, highlighting the mobilization efforts of other political parties.
“APC and other parties are already mobilizing, if we don’t prepare now, we may lose out completely. We must not only protect what we have but also ensure that we come back in 2028 to celebrate true democratic success,” Amaechi stated.
