Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he foresaw and warned about
Nigeria’s current recession two years ago, but said he was ignored.
Mr. Obasanjo said he was concerned about recession when he saw how
“recklessly” the Goodluck Jonathan administration spent the country’s
resources.
The former president spoke on Saturday in an Independence Day message
at a lecture organised by the Youth Fellowship of Owu Baptist Church,
Abeokuta.
“Whoever that has lived to witness the celebration of today should
thank God,” he said. “Things are not what they should be, but we should
pray that next year will be better than this year. We thank God for
those who are alive, we prayed for the souls of those who have laboured
for these country and who have passed on to rest in perfect peace.”
Mr. Obasanjo said one of the major issues threatening the peace of Nigeria now is the high level of unemployment.
“Unemployment is a major problem in the country today and if we don’t
take care, it will consume all of us. In fact, the rising unemployment
is a time bomb,” he said.
The former president recalled how he got five job offers immediately
he completed his secondary school education at Baptist Boys High School,
Abeokuta.
He said he received offers from the United Africa Company (UAC) and
Moore Plantation, Ibadan, among others. He said the situation is
different today in the country.
Mr. Obasanjo said the businessman, Aliko Dangote, told him that six
Ph.D. holders were among applicants seeking jobs with his company as
truck drivers.
Mr. Obasanjo said the high rate of unemployment was responsible for
youth restiveness in the country, warning that the situation should be
tackled with all the “seriousness” it deserves before it get out of
hand.
The former president said the country cannot develop if it pays no attention to agriculture.
“That is why we have to take it as a key of our development else the
many educated Nigerians who have no job are like time bomb, sooner than
later, it will explode,” he said.
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