The Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, decried Nigeria’s inability to live up to expectations since it got independence about 63 years ago, stressing that the country had not only disappointed itself but also Africa and the world.
Obasanjo disclosed this while delivering 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.
The book was unveiled by President Bola Tinubu through his Special Adviser on Monetary Policy, Olawale Edun. The event, which was held in Abuja, witnessed a large turnout of past and current senior government officials, as former President Goodluck Jonathan and Obasanjo spoke virtually.
In his address at the program, Obasanjo said, “Over the last 63 years, we have not lived up to expectations. We have disappointed ourselves; we have disappointed Africa; we have disappointed the black race; and we have disappointed the world.”
He, however, stated that “what Segun (Aganga) has tried to identify, itemize 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 a gross misunderstanding of what development entails and how to move fast and continuously on the trajectory of development.”
