Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has denied the report that he had only N20,000 naira in his account before he became President in 1999, stating that he was already a rich man by virtue of the fact he owned the biggest poultry farm in Africa by then.
He said, ”I was already a wealthy man before I became president and that even then I had the largest poultry farm in Africa then.”
The former president currently on tour to promote his new book, Making Africa Work, made the comment in an interview with African Argument Magazine.
Obasanjo spoke on a wide range of issues including, youth unemployment, Biafra agitation, and The call for the restructuring of the country.
According to the elder statesman, the Buhari administration has not done enough to address the crisis of youth unemployment which he described as a ticking time bomb.
He said, ”All youth in Nigeria have legitimate reasons to feel frustrated and angry. Buhari has made some announcements. He has tried to keep on going in the area of agribusiness, but not enough. It is not yet enough to prepare the ground for uninhibited growth of the economy, which we need.”
He, therefore, urged the government to do more in the area of youth empowerment, skill acquisition, youth employment, and education to stem the tide of, “the ticking bomb of possible youth explosion out of restiveness and anger will subside.”
Obasanjo also said that he does not believe in True Federalism, insisting that those insisting on it do not know what they want.
He said, ”does not believe in it” and that those talking about devolution of powers and true federalism ”don’t know what they are talking about.”
He said, “I don’t believe in true federalism. What is true federalism? Why are they not accountable? What powers do they not have?”
”Some State governors are more powerful than President Muhammad Buhari or any other Nigerian President.”
“If anybody tells you they want devolution or true federalism, he doesn’t know what he is talking about. The fact anybody talks about it doesn’t mean it’s right,” he said.
The former President also criticised those agitating for the sovereign state of Biafra, saying ”they do not know why they are doing so.”
“The protesters don’t even know what the struggle is all about, but if it gives them false hope, why not hang onto it? Let the elders handle it or ignore it until it loses momentum.”
” After all, they’re their (youth’s) fathers and mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers, and can still be used effectively.”