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- Says youths looking for liberators excited by military takeovers
From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Former president of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo has advocated the entrenchment of true democratic principles with God-given attributes as a way of discouraging coups in the African continent.
Obasanjo, who attributed the rising military coups in Africa to the youths searching for liberators, said African leaders must make democracy work and ensure delivery of good governance to discourage their citizens from craving for military putsch.
He declared that he would never support a coup considering his experience in the hands of a former military dictator, late General Sanni Abacha, urging leaders of government in the continent to espouse inclusive society, eschew marginalization, exclusion and favoritism.
The former president stated this in an interactive session with a group of youths from Africa for Africa Youth Initiative (A4A), a platform founded by Reverend Chris Oyakhilome, held at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OOPL, Abeokuta.
“Having suffered in the hand of Abacha, I won’t support military coup. But if it has to come, what can we do”? The former president quipped.
Responding further to questions on the coups in Africa, Obasanjo during the event entitled “Fostering Sustainable Development Through Pan Africanism”, observed that certain conditions have been encouraging the military takeovers across the continent.
According to him the youths are excited by the coups because they are looking for liberators.
He said: “The point is this, do we have conditions that encourage the type of things that are happening? Because if we don’t have the conditions that encourage them, they may not happen. That doesn’t mean it should be encouraged. What it means is that we should make sure that we do everything to prevent coups from happening.
“When you see things that happen in many countries, and I will not exclude Nigeria, then you wonder and don’t forget, don’t forget particularly the youth, they support most of these coups. The one in Gabon, the Coup Leader was being carried on the head by the youths, not by old wretched men and women like me.
“So, the youth are looking for liberators, and we must bear that in mind. Why do we have to allow the youth to start looking for liberators beyond the government of the day? Why?”
He stated further: “And if you have been in government for 40 years and you are not tired, maybe you need retirement.
“One, let me make it clear, I don’t support coups because personally I have been a victim of coup. Two, the good thing about democracy, if it works and it delivers, is that you can sit down and dialogue and debate and discuss. But your democracy must take integrity along with it.
“Your democracy must take honesty along with it. Your democracy must take character along with it. Your democracy must take those attributes, God-given attributes, inclusive society, no marginalization, no exclusion, no favoritism.”
Obasanjo, however, called on the African youths to brace up and take leadership positions today and not tomorrow, according to him, may never come.
The Executive Director of A4A, Pastor Henry Akasili, said the organization has a duty to inspire youth people to drive a sustainable development in Africa.
“We believe in action, we believe in seeing that sustainable change in the African continent that is why we have come from 7 African countries, and to go back and influence those who need to be influenced by the same message to another level.
“Africa has a lot of resources, Africa has the brains, Africa is filled and full of intelligent minds. The young people that we have now, they know better. They are seeing and their hearing ability is a lot better because of the information they have heard from the founder, Reverend Chris Oyakhilome,” he submitted.
