‘Stop blaming God for Nigeria’s challenges,’ Obasanjo tells leaders

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised Nigerian leaders to stop blaming God for the myriad of challenges confronting the country.

The ex-president, who stated this at a forum held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, on Tuesday, called for a change of narrative in Nigeria as year 2021 approaches.

Obasanjo said with enormous resources available in Nigeria, the country should not be in its present situation.

He, however, described 2020 as a year of many challenges.

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The ex-president urged Nigerians to work and pray for “a glorious 2021.”

Obasanjo said: “I like the motto of a school which says ‘work and pray.’ Some people say it should be ‘pray and work’, but it doesn’t matter to me in what order I put it, but prayer must go with work and work must go with prayer.

“And I believe we need to work hard in this country as we pray hard so that the coming year, the year 2021 will be a glorious year for us. But it will not happen unless we work to make it happen.

“We do not have to blame God for our situation, we have to blame ourselves. Nigeria does not suppose to have these challenges or be poor. No Nigerian must go to bed hungry. That we have a situation like that is a choice by our leaders and followers alike. My prayer is that God will make the year 2021 a better year for all of us, but it will not happen without work.”

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He also spoke on the country’s economic challenges.

“We are not doing the right thing now. When we do the right thing, the economy will be what it should be.

“We have gone from one form of insecurity to a bad economy and on the top of it is the COVID-19. Some people, either due to insecurity or bad economy or for COVID-19 have gone to the great beyond. I will say may the souls of those who have departed, particularly in this year of challenges, to rest in perfect peace,” Obasanjo added.

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