Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has said that Africans are sitting on kegs of gunpowder and called for the urgent end to abject poverty across the continent.
Obasanjo made the call recently in his keynote address at Dele Momodu’s leadership lecture, with the theme, ‘How to end hunger and poverty in Africa’.
He posited that, “before we talk about food, security is key”, pointing out that if China could lift 700 million people out of poverty, Nigeria should be able to do something about the abject poverty being faced by its citizens.
While proffering a lasting solution to hunger across Africa, Obasanjo insisted that “education is one of the tools we can use to banish poverty. Where there’s no education, invariably, there will be poverty.”
He also pointed out the place of leadership in ending abject poverty. “In all works of life, we must have leaders whose characters display ‘communality’. Leadership is the greatest ingredient for ending poverty. There’s no human endeavour that does not thrive on leadership.
“To get it right, we must ensure no child is uneducated. Nigeria can eliminate hunger and poverty with integrity, discipline and good governance.
“We can do it. If China can lift 700 million people out of poverty. Nigeria should have no business with abject poverty. If we don’t take responsibility, we all sit on a gunpowder keg. Until we banish poverty in Africa, international communities will not recognize us as a serious continent.”
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye congratulated Obasanjo on his submission and urged everyone to be patriotic by collaborating with the government.
He said, “If we want to break poverty in this country, we have to be patriotic in all ramifications. From the food we eat to the clothes we wear. We may not get it right at first, but in a short time we would be the envy of the world.”
