… ‘I warned against today’s hardship but was ignored’
The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has blamed the current socioeconomic challenges bedeviling the country on poor leadership decisions by the nation’s leaders.
Obaseki, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, the Edo State capital, said as an investment banker, he foresaw the hardship faced by Nigerians today as a result of bad economic decisions by leaders of the country and several raised alarm on the need for corrective measures to today’s dire situation but was ignored.
He said as governor, he understands that Nigerians are passing through very tough and difficult times, urging them to be resilient and not lose hope.
The governor said, “I know as a Governor that we are all going through suffering in the land. I understand how the economy works and saw this ahead of time. I have been shouting since I became Governor that the way we are going and the kind of decision many of us politicians were making will bring about hardship.”
He further noted, “Nigeria was never like this before. God in his mercy endowed Nigeria like no other Country in the World. How many countries in Africa have 100 million people not to talk about 200 million? God designed us as the biggest market in Africa. God gave us all and the problem we are facing as a nation is the one created by us, particularly our leaders.”
Obaseki charged, “If you are a leader and you are not ready to sacrifice yourself, then you are not ready for leadership. Leadership is not how much you can get for yourself. Nigerians are suffering today due to bad leadership. Nigeria is rich in terms of resources and has no business with poverty and suffering. We can grow and produce all we need to consume in Nigeria, so why are we not doing it?”
