Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed deep concern about the country’s future.

He lamented that the country was not moving forward as it should, warning that if urgent steps were not taken, the lamentations would continue from generation to generation.

Referencing the 1950s Lancaster House meetings where Nigeria’s founding fathers debated the constitution, stability, and unity ahead of independence, Obasanjo noted that subsequent crises, ranging from census disputes and flawed elections to military coups and the civil war, should have settled questions about Nigeria’s future, but argued that they remained unresolved due to selfishness among Nigerian contemporary leaders.

Obasanjo, who made the remarks yesterday at the 6th yearly colloquium in celebration of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo’s 65th birthday, themed, ‘The Future of Nigeria’, said Nigerians should always think about the country first, noting that an individual’s identity is rooted in the existence of the country itself.

He argued that Nigeria’s challenges had persisted because self-centredness, ethnic bias and religious division still thrived, urging a rethink to reposition the future of the country.

Obasanjo, who spoke virtually, said: “It’s a great pity that today, we are still discussing the future of Nigeria after 65 years of independence. The future of Nigeria is at stake if we continue the way we are going. So, the earlier we stop, think and put things right, the better it will be for the future of Nigeria.”

He criticised the promotion of identity-based politics, such as the ‘Emilokan’ sentiment, as well as tying a leadership position to religion, warning that such a move only undermined national cohesion and the principle of fairness in a diverse country like Nigeria.

He said: “I feel pained when somebody said Emilokan, and some people came to me and said, yes, some people in the north are saying it may be their turn in a country where we have Christians and those who do not even believe in Christianity or Islam. And you say that because you belong to a particular religion, then others may be ignored. That cannot make for the future of a country.”

In his remarks, the celebrant aligned with Obasanjo’s sentiment, saying the challenges facing Nigeria were because individuals were thinking for themselves first over the collective good of the country.

He further noted that the crisis dated back to the colonial era, observing that the colonial masters, who colonised the country, did not come to unite or develop Nigeria for its collective benefit, but to serve their own personal interests.

“Nigeria may have been seemingly a mistake, a creation of British colonial masters who came here not for the benefit of Nigeria but for their own benefit. They wanted to extract our resources and take over the land. They did not come here to make Nigeria a great place. They did not come here to foster unity. In fact, they amalgamated us forcefully, not because they thought it was in our best interest but because it was in their own best interest,” he said.

Speaking alongside other panellists, the Executive Director of Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE), Opeyemi Adamolekun, reinforced the need to strengthen grassroots accountability in government, urging citizens to pay closer attention to local representatives, including state assembly members and senators.

She argued that these officials, not the central government, were closer to them in understanding their needs and championing policies that directly address them.

She said: “Politics in Nigeria has become incredibly commercialised. I mean, there are tons of myths going around now that every problem you have will be sorted by rice. When they give a bag of rice, all your problems will be sorted. Therefore, to counter that, we have to invest in education.”