By Kolawole Ojebisi
Former civilan President and one time military Head of State of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has the raised alarm over what he called the escalating hunger and allied hardship in the land, warning those at the helm that the situation may spark a youth-led crisis if corrective steps are not taken.
He urged Nigeria’s leaders to adjust and prioritise the welfare of the frustrated youth to forestal mass revolt.
Obasanjo noted that though the country is blessed with talented and hardworking youths, the young population is disenchanted with the mismanagement of the nation’s commonwealth, large-scale corruption, and leadership ineptitude, among others.
The former President disclosed these in one of his new books, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future’ unveiled last week.
Obasanjo said leaders on the continent should not think that they could continue to govern with barefaced stealing and lies and remain insensitive to the people’s plight without repercussions and revolt.
He said, “Current trends on the continent portray a more assertive, younger population, intolerant of abuses of power and in search of the dividends of good governance, such that whether or not we accept it, an inevitable shake-up is in the offing.
“In what manner that happens is left for the current operatives of government to decide or fashion out. That is why my clarion call for a domesticated system of governance that reflects our temperament, context, content, culture, and exigencies is urgent.
“We are currently sitting on a ticking time bomb partly because of the system we practise, how corruptly we practise it, and how exclusively we practise it with impunity, callousness, brazen outrage and total disregard for any element of righteousness, integrity, accountability, sensitivity, compassion, inclusiveness and the fear of God.
“If the incumbent leaders do not shape up and satisfy the yearnings and demands of their people, especially the youths, who are disappointed, dissatisfied, bitter, hungry, angry, unemployed and unempowered, then the future is indeed very bleak, with no light at the end of the tunnel.
“These young people watch helplessly as their leaders tell them blatant lies unabashedly, while continuing their orgies of vulgar and ostentatious lifestyles rather than investing the money from the nation’s commonwealth in SMEs to create jobs and generate wealth.
“Should we have the misfortune of pushing these young people to the point of crossing the Rubicon, the country will pay a very high cost because a chain of events will be unleashed, the end of which no one can predict.
“We have no better time for change than now before change is forced upon us. It was JF Kennedy, former president of the United States of America, who, in 1962, said that those who make peaceful change impossible will make violent change inevitable. I am not calling for violent change, but it will become a reality if we continue on the present trajectory.
“Let us set aside lies, illusions, delusions, dishonesty and scapegoatism. Let us face reality and deal sincerely with ourselves, among ourselves, by ourselves and for ourselves.
“Sadly, for Africa, this grave and worrying concern is not just a Nigerian phenomenon but an entire African malady.
“It is now in its autumn of incubation, and if it does not receive serious attention, it will metamorphose into a destructive pandemic in its winter and spread across the continent.
“To ignore the warning and the writing on the wall is to continue to dance slow foxtrot while our trousers are burning. The day of reckoning may not be too far, but like the Biblical second coming of Jesus Christ, who can tell when that will happen?”
