From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Wednesday, declared that the Nigeria he dreamt about and desires would be actualised in his lifetime.
The ex-president acknowledged that the current situation in the country is precarious; he nonetheless expressed optimism that a prosperous nation that all Nigerians will be proud of will happen while he is alive.
Obasanjo stated this while speaking at the launch and public presentation of two books—‘Lest We Forget: Slavery, Slave Trade, Emancipation and Reparation’ and ‘Nigeria: Past and the Future’—he personally authored to commemorate his 88th birthday, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The event was attended by the former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi; former governors of Jigawa and Imo States, Sule Lamido and Emeka Ihedioha, respectively; the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke; Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, who was represented by his deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele; Senator Ibikunle Amosun; and former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, among other eminent personalities within the country and from abroad.
Speaking further, Obasanjo said Africa, especially Nigeria, should be careful in order not to be enslaved once again, noting that the continent is still suffering the effects of slavery. He posited that all efforts must be made by African leaders to ensure that their people are not thrown into a second round of slavery.
He charged the citizens, particularly the youths, to play their roles patriotically towards ensuring that Nigeria, as a country, attains an enviable status in the comity of nations.
“Lest we forget, the lecturer brought it up vividly, why we should not forget slavery and slave trade, whether trans-Atlantic, or trans-Sahara, they had the same effects on us. And he made the points strongly that if we forget, not only will we continue to suffer from the effects of what he called not an episode, but epoch, but not only that, we will be re-enslaved again in one form or the other. We haven’t come out of the ones we suffered, spanning about two centuries that we have suffered. It is for us to see, where we have all gone wrong without any exception as a group and then, is there a way out? And if there is, what is the way out? And if we know the way out, how do we get there and what should we do.
“But for me, I am an incurable optimist about Nigeria. Yes, the situation is bad, no doubt, but I believe in my lifetime, we will have the Nigeria that we will all be proud of. Let us bear in mind that as Nigerians, there is an obligation for us and if we do it well, we will have an enviable Nigeria in our lifetime,” the former president submitted.
Earlier in his lecture titled “Echoes of the Past, Vision of the Future: Reflection on Slavery and Colonization and Nigeria’s Journey Towards a Promising Future”, the guest lecturer and Director-General of the Nigeria Institute for International Affairs, Professor Eghosa Osaghae, reflected on where we were as a country, where we are, and where we should be after colonisation.
While calling for a decolonisation of our minds, Osaghae, however, demanded a new and united set of leaders that will form the new power bloc for good governance and also stop wallowing in the past, among other demands.