Nigerians don’t deserve to be poor - Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigeria has no reason to battle poverty, considering its abundant natural and human resources.

During a dinner held in his honour by the Abia State Government in Umuahia on Friday, April 11, 2025, Obasanjo lamented the mismanagement of Nigeria’s wealth, stressing that the problem lies not with divine provision but with poor leadership and governance.

“Nigerians have no business with poverty because God has given us all that we need,” the former president said. “If we are mismanaging what God has given us, we do not have God to blame, we have ourselves to blame.”

Obasanjo also commended Governor Alex Otti for what he described as impressive strides in transforming Abia State. According to him, if Nigeria had at least 18 governors performing at Otti’s level, the country would be on the path to real development.

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He emphasised that personal issues or political differences don’t matter to him when the national interest is at stake. “For me, whether you don’t greet me or I greet you and you don’t answer, what is important to me is that the people of this country are getting what they deserve — and what they deserve is good governance.”

Governor Otti thanked the former president for his visit and support in his remarks. He revealed that his administration is implementing wide-reaching reforms, particularly in the education sector, to enhance access to quality learning in the state.

“Once you have a vision, you have to keep to it,” Otti said. “It took us ten years to get here. The two elections we contested from 2015 to 2019, we won clearly, but they were all stolen. A lot of people had given up hope and said it wasn’t going to work, but I was sure that I heard clearly from God.”

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