Okowa Visits Obasanjo In Ogun, Says Nigeria Needs His Experience On Nation Building

Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa said Nigeria needs the help of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo on nation-building because the situation in the country was getting very troubled.

Ifeanyi Okowa Meet Obasanjo

The governor stated this on Tuesday when he visited the former President at his penthouse, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

In a statement by Obasanjo’s spokesman, Kehinde Akinyemi, the governor said former leaders and stakeholders, including traditional rulers, need to be consulted on finding solutions to challenges affecting security and the economy.

Okowa said, “It is time the country should come together. All well-meaning people, all stakeholders must come together to think Nigeria first. We need the collective efforts of all at this period.

“This is something that is threatening the fabric of our unity and not something we have to play with. The situation is getting worrisome and it’s time we all have hands on deck to be able to find solutions to these challenges.

“As it stands today, the APC-run government cannot alone be able to deal with it, and they need to find wide and far-reaching consultation, not with those in government alone, but all stakeholders, particularly those who have been part of running this country before and now, including even religious leaders. We need to sit together and discuss the way forward.”

Okowa described Obasanjo as “someone who truly understands Nigeria thoroughly and we bless God for having somebody like him. We need to tap from him, especially at a time like this, which will help to shape this nation. And I thanked God for the wonderful discussions that I had with him.”

On his next line of action ahead of the 2023 general election, Okowa said he is yet to make up his mind on whether to contest the presidency, noting that “finding solutions to the nation’s problems was more important than the presidential race for me.”

He added, “As at today, I have not made up my mind. The important thing is not about me, it is about the nation, Nigeria. What is the hope for the future? What level of consensus can we build in order to achieve our dream?

“Our dream is to see Nigeria begin to have an improvement in our security and in the economy. These are some things we have not achieved at the moment.”

“The country is so stressed, so much stress in the land. So much unemployment, so much inflation and unfortunately, the things that unite us are badly threatened and we are even not sure of tomorrow. These are the things we must discuss. We must all come together to stop this tide of drift at the moment. These are the things we should be more concerned about.”

KanyiDaily recalls that Olusegun Obasanjo had recently lamented that Nigerians “are no longer safe on the road, in the train, and at the airport” under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.