From: Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Wednesday, blamed the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians by citizens of South Africa on the alleged insincerity of South African leaders.
The former Head of State, stated this when the leadership of the Alumni Association of Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, paid him a courtesy visit at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta.
According to Obasanjo, the ongoing attacks on foreigners in South Africa betrayed the struggle for the emancipation of the country against apartheid regime.
The former president said leaders in the country should have displayed some sense of maturity, even if the youths of the country faltered in their sense of reasoning.
“Youths can be so immature, they may not understand what Africa stands for, what our continental organizations stand for. But if the youths do not understand what happened to the
elders? What happened to the leadership? I will blame the youths of the country for the attacks, but I will blame the leaders more in any country that allows xenophobic attacks against fellow Africans for whatever reason”. He stated.
Obasanjo, then, called on African heads of government to ensure good governance for overall development of the continent and its teeming population.
He equally charged Nigerian youths to believe more in their country and desist from searching for ephemeral greener pastures.
“Having said that, it is also the responsibility of everyone of us in
our different countries to prepare our countries so that those our youths that think that there is an Eldorado somewhere outside their countries will be made to know that there is no green pasture anywhere.
“The green pasture is here in your country. I feel disheartened to know that many of our youths perished while
crossing the Sahara Desert or the Mediterranean”. Obasanjo pointed out.
Speaking earlier, the leader of the Alumni association, Major-General Lawrence Onoja (rtd) explained that the association visited Obasanjo as part of activities to felicitate with him on his 80th birthday.