Amid United States President Donald Trump’s threat to deploy troops in Nigeria over alleged Christian genocide, former President Olusegun Obasanjo recalled a time the United States respected Nigeria.
He also advised the youths to be positively disruptive to have a say in the affairs of the country.
Mr Obasanjo spoke on Monday in Abeokuta, Ogun State during the Presidential Youth Mentorship Retreat, organised by the Youth Development Centre, an affiliate of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL).
The former president noted that world leaders and the United States of America particularly viewed Nigeria as Africa’s leading nation, recalling how a former U.S President, Jimmy Carter, would not undertake any initiatives within the continent without duly notifying him.
“They were not taking permission from us, but they will tell us that they are doing this,” Mr Obasanjo said.
“When I was president and head of state, three American presidents came to Nigeria. They have not lost anything that they were looking for in Nigeria. What did they see? At Independence, the world saw Nigeria as a giant coming up. Soon after independence, we lost that. When Muritala and I came into government, we brought it back,” he said.
The former president noted that the respect was traceable to ideas hinged on Africa and Nigeria’s liberation.
He stated, “America saw that there was a possibility of Nigeria being Africa’s leader and we were on the way. When I was military head of state, President Jimmy Carter was the president of America, he would not do anything in Africa without informing us.”
Tasking the younger generation on leadership, Mr Obasanjo urged youths to embrace responsibility and be ‘positively disruptive’.
He stated, “You are leaders of today, because if you leave tomorrow in the hands of leaders who are there today, they will destroy it, you won’t have your tomorrow. You can see that happening almost everywhere. Cameroon just had an election. My brother, Paul Biya is 92. So, what are you going to do with the youth, or are there no youths in Cameroon?”
Citing the NotTooYoungToRun legislation, Mr Obasanjo said, “Those who made it into law are 80 years old and they are still running. When will you have the opportunity to run? Like I said to you yesterday, you have to be positively disruptive and I mean that. Look, if three people are sitting and two of them start to press the one in the middle, when it becomes uncomfortable for him, it is either he yields the space or allows them to share. You have to be positively disruptive; otherwise, you will have no role to play.’’
