Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, stated that the only choice left to the African people was to assist in the repayment of the debt that the continent’s leaders had accumulated.
Recall that in 2003, while serving as the nation’s president, Obasanjo and his Algerian counterpart worked to win debt relief for Nigeria.
Obasanjo pointed out, nevertheless, that it would be nearly hard for any administration to obtain a similar gesture throughout the continent given the degree of mismanagement of the past debts waived off.
Obasanjo said this at an engagement programme with the 2023 awardees of Future Africa Leaders Foundation, an initiative of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.
Obasanjo noted that the debts were a trap that no individual or nation should fall into as it constitutes an albatross on any economy.
The former president who asserted that leadership was the number one problem facing the continent emphasised that,”the coming generations will have no choice but pay the current debt being incurred by different countries in the continent.”
He commended Pastor Oyakhilome for the efforts put into building leaders, adding that the nation needed more people like him to address the leadership crisis facing the continent.
Highlighting the qualities of a leader during the question and answer session, Obasanjo said, “a leader should be able to set good examples, be bold and courageous when making decisions, accept mistakes and learn from them, as well as have a realistic dream.”
