By Abiola Olawale
Six members of the House of Representatives led by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Friday.
Ugochinyere, who represents the Ideato North/South federal constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, arrived at Obasanjo’s residence at around 1 pm.
Hon. Peter Aniekwe, Hon. Matthew Nwogu, Hon. Abdulmaleek Danga, Hon. Midala Usman, and Hon. Kama Nkemkanma, were also present at the former President’s residence.
Addressing the lawmakers, Obasanjo called on the National Assembly and the Federal Government to listen to the concerns of Nigerian youths, whose nationwide protests have been sparked by demands for better governance, economic opportunities, and an end to corruption.
The former President cautioned that failure to address the youths’ demands could lead to dire consequences, given their frustration, desperation, anger, and unemployment.
He said: “You are what you are today because you’re a Nigerian; I’m what I am also because I’m a Nigerian. So why should they be Nigerians and be languishing in poverty?
“They make demands and we’re not listening to them. Many of them are frustrated, desperate, angry and unemployed. What do we expect?.”
Also, Obasanjo, while addressing the issue of a single six-year term proposal for the office of the president and the governors in Nigeria emphasized the need for a change in mentality.
He maintained that the number of years spent in office is not the problem but the mentality of the office holders.
He continued: “For me, the issue is for us to get it right. Whether we have one term of six years or two terms of four years; where it’ll work is our mentality.
“We have to decarbonise our brain. If you give a person one single term of six years, he will do the same harm he could have done in two terms of four years.
“If you have a system you can trust; you have an INEC you can trust, then it will not matter the number of years.”
Meanwhile, Mr Ugochinyere said that the country should move toward adopting a single six-year term for president.
He also called for a rotational mechanism for governance between the North and the South.
