Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that poverty should have no place in Nigeria, considering the country’s vast wealth in both natural and human resources.
Speaking at a dinner in his honour hosted by the Abia State Government on Friday at the Government House in Umuahia, Obasanjo criticized the persistent mismanagement of the country’s resources, saying it is the primary reason for Nigeria’s struggles.
“Nigerians have no business with poverty because God has given us all that we need,” he said. “If we are mismanaging what God has given us, we do not have God to blame, we have ourselves to blame.”
The former president praised Abia State Governor Alex Otti for the reforms and visible progress recorded under his administration, noting the public’s growing confidence in his leadership.
Obasanjo emphasized the need for competent governance across the country, stating that if at least 18 governors performed their duties effectively, the nation’s outlook would dramatically improve.
Expressing his ongoing concern for the welfare of Nigerians, he said, “Whether you greet me or not, what matters to me is that the people of this country are getting what they deserve—and that is good governance.”
He also recounted an incident during former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi’s tenure, when Amaechi was unaware of an existing national railway development blueprint and had to be directed to the archives to retrieve it.
In his response, Governor Otti expressed gratitude for Obasanjo’s consistent support. He emphasized the importance of vision and perseverance in leadership, recalling his decade-long journey in politics.
“Once you have vision, you have to stick with it. It took us ten years to get here. We clearly won the elections in 2015 and 2019, but they were stolen,” Otti said. “Many people had lost hope, but I was certain I had heard clearly from God.”
