Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on Nigerians, particularly the youths to play their roles patriotically towards ensuring that Nigeria as a country, attains an enviable status in the comity of nations.
Obasanjo emphatically tasked Nigerians that are yet to attain the age 80 to brace up for the obligations of nation building, stressing that “if we do it well, we will have an enviable Nigeria in our lifetime“.
Obasanjo who said this in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while responding to the plethora of encomium showered on his personality by well-wishers during his 88th Birthday celebration , held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, South West Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, which was attended by eminent Nigerians, which included traditional rulers, present and past state governors, captain of industries, as well as foreign expatriates, the former President reiterated the optimism that the country will attain an enviable status which all the citizens will be proud of during his lifetime irrespective of how bad the situation could be.
“For me, I am an incurable optimistic about Nigeria. Yes, the situation is bad, no doubt, but I believe in my lifetime, we will have the Nigeria that we will all be proud of.
“I want to thank all those who have given the goodwill messages; I appreciate you all. May all of you who have reached the age of 80, attain 90 and 100. And I will celebrate that 90 and 100 with all of you”.
“Those of you who have not attain the age of 80 and have not been called Octogenarians yet, you will by the Grace of God attain 80, but let us bear in mind that as Nigerians, there is an obligation for us and if we do it well, we will have an enviable Nigeria in our lifetime”.
As part of the landmark activities marking his 88th birthday celebration, Obasanjo however, unveiled two books: “Lest we forget: Slavery, Slave Trade, Emancipation and Reparation” and “Nigeria: Past and the Future“, authored by himself, which he presented to the public.
Earlier in the public lecture titled: “Echoes Of The Past, Vision Of The Future: Reflection On Slavery And Colonization And Nigeria’s Journey Towards A Promising Future”, the guest lecturer and Director General of Nigeria Institute for International Affairs, Professor Eghosa Osaghae reflected on where we were as a country; where we are and where we should be after colonization as a nation.
While calling for a decolonization of our minds, Osaghae however, demanded for a new and united set of leader that will form the new power block for good governance and also stop wallowing in the past among other demands.
In his response to the birthday lecture however, Obasanjo said the essence of Osaghae’s message is for all Nigerians to see “where we have all gone wrong without any exception“.
“I want to say one or two comments about the two books. Lest we forget, the lecturer brought it up vividly, why we should not forget slavery and Slave Trade, whether is trans-Atlantic, or trans-Sahara, they had the same effects on us”.
“And he made the points strongly that if we forget, not only will we continue to suffer from the effects of what he called not an episode, but epoch, but not only that, we will be re-enslaved again in one form or the other”.
“We haven’t come out of the ones we suffered, spanning about 2 Centuries that we have suffered. It is for us to see, where we have all gone wrong without any exception as a group and then, is there a way out? And if there is, what is the way out? And if we know the way out, how do we get there and what should we do”.
Victoria Ibanga
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