Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigerian leaders and their followers were responsible for the bad choices that have led to hunger in the country.
The former president stated this in his 2021 message to Nigerians delivered at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
He warned against blaming God for the security and socio-economic challenges bedevilling the nation.
The former president noted that a mixture of hard work and prayer would address the nation’s myriad problems.
“We do not have to blame God for our situation, we have to blame ourselves. Nigeria does not have to be poor, no Nigerian must go to bed hungry.
“That we have a situation like this is a choice of 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.
“We have gone from one form of insecurity to bad economy and on the top of it, is the COVID-19. Some people, either for insecurity or for the 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, rest in perfect peace.
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“But what then do we do the rest of us? As I said, we should thank God. 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.
“I would say as St. Paul, the great Apostle said, ‘in all things, we must give thanks, this year 2020 has been a year of challenge with the whole world, particularly for us in Nigeria,” Obasanjo said.